Sacrament
by Arret
Summary: Kaname x Yuuki. Yuuki adjusts to life as a vampire and her new relationships with Kaname, Zero and the Night Class. Picks up after chapter 42, except in my version Kaname has returned and Rido's whereabouts are unknown. Enjoy!
1. Ritual

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight. This disclaimer covers all future chapters as well.**

_Red is the color of blood and I will seek it..._ --Conrad Aiken

It was a ritual.

Yuuki would sit on the chair in the decorated bedroom of Kaname's large suite in the Night Dorm, in her prim white night gown, her hands folded in her lap and a look of determination on her delicate features. She would stare at a blood tablet as it floated to the bottom of the crystal goblet on the mahogany dresser, making a faint a hiss as it dissolved, staining the water a weak shade of red. _I will drink it. I should drink it. It's the right thing to do. Everyone in the Night Class does it. Why should I be special? Yes, tonight, I will!_

…And with this resolve still fresh in her mind, she would creep out into the spacious suite, her hands clutched at her stomach, and find _him_ lying down on the elegant couch, his expression calm and his burgundy eyes soft as he gazed at her, waiting.

Tonight, he fulfilled his part of the ritual, as always. "Yuuki," he breathed after a few moments of watching her wringing her hands. He turned his head subtly to expose the smooth white flesh of his neck.

Breathing in rapid gasps, Yuuki unlocked her hands and dropped them to her sides as she crossed the space between them in a few strides. She lowered herself on top of him, her hesitation gone, but still having enough control to make sure she straddled only his slim waist. Leaning forward, she pressed her lips to his throat, hesitating only a second to enjoy his sweet scent and feel of his blood rushing beneath his skin before she opened her mouth to let her fangs graze his skin. He exhaled a sigh, but otherwise was completely still, his body hard and unmoving as marble under her.

"I want… Kaname-sen-…Onii-sama…s-sorry," she muttered incoherently against his throat, before sinking her teeth into his flesh. A mixture of euphoria and self-loathing filled her as his blood rushed into her mouth, coating her tongue with rich, exotic taste.

"It's okay, Yuuki." Kaname's hands rose from his sides, where they had been tightly clutching the cushions, but an inch away from her back, he pulled them away and returned them to their previous position, gripping the upholstery. He closed his eyes, a strained expression on his face she couldn't see.

Tears filled her eyes at his words, but instead of stopping, she sucked harder. Heat suffused her body, spreading through her midsection and her limbs. The warmth radiated outwards from her toes to the tips of her fingers, which were threaded in his dark hair.

But beyond the powerful and pleasurable physical sensations at drinking Kaname's blood, there was more. As she had suspected with Zero, blood communicated it owner's thoughts and emotions. Memories of Kaname's grief at her forgetting him, his frustration because he had to stay away from her and deep, crushing loneliness were feelings laid bare for her every time she drank his blood.

Even more, his blood whispered his love for her. From the moment he had first laid eyes on her, cradled in their mother's arms, he had loved her with all his soul.

It wasn't drinking his blood, it was drinking _him_.

_I'm so weak. No, it's worse than that, I'm a junkie for his blood, for the way it makes me feel and for the way he sees me. How can I take one of those pills, which was made in some cold laboratory, when I can have this?_ Yuuki thought, locking a sob inside her chest before it could escape her lips. _I'm taking his most private thoughts. It's theft. It's… _She shied away from the word that wanted to form in her mind and bit down harder in an effort to make it disappear entirely. She heard Kaname's steady breathing become more rapid and irregular as her fangs pierced more deeply. She waited for him to tell her to cease, but the words never came and his respiration smoothed out to almost normal as she continued swallowing his blood in desperation.

A dull yearning ache settled into the pit of her abdomen as the tenor of his thoughts in his lifeblood shifted from his warm memories of her childhood to something else, and the graphic images of what he wanted of her burned her mind in their intensity. With a stifled moan, she retracted her fangs from his neck and loosened her grip on his hair. Carefully, she lifted herself off of the breathing statue of his body and perched on the edge of the sofa.

Yuuki let the curtain of her new luxuriant hair fall over her face to act as a convenient barrier from eye contact and wiped the remnants of his blood from her lips as well as the tears from her eyes. She waited for the silence to be broken, but other than the ticking of the ornately carved grandfather clock against the wall, there was no other sound.

And that, too, was part of the ritual.

She hazarded a glance at Kaname's face and for moment she thought she saw his eyes glowing a brighter crimson with mute need, but it was so gone so quick she thought she imagined it. As usual, his face was serene and so beautiful it was almost difficult to look at and keep a coherent thought, but Yuuki's eyes widened when she saw the punctures on his neck still flowing blood in sluggish streams and dark bruise-colored circles nestled beneath his eyes.

"Onii-…Kaname-senpai, I'm sorry… I took too much. I shouldn't have. I'm sorry!" She said this in a rush, a dull flush coloring her cheeks as she realized if they must have been there when she had first walked in and had been too wrapped up in her bloodlust to see it. He had been getting more weary each day. "You should have told me to stop," she mumbled to the floor.

She felt him shift from is prone position to sit beside her. His fingertips lifted her chin to look at him. "I will never tell you to stop, Yuuki. My blood is yours to take whenever you want it," he said in his silky voice, a small smile twisting his lips. "And I'm fine, but thank you for worrying about me." At his light touch, Yuuki was once again aware of the warm sensation in her abdomen and exhaled a shaky breath.

_I'm a parasite because I only take. I'm… hurting him with this form of… rape? _Yuuki questioned silently, finally admitting what this nightly routine reminded her of. _Maybe it's too strong a word… but surely it's a violation. The only difference is he's a willing victim. _

Tears stung her eyes once again and in response Kaname inclined his face closer, so that his wine-colored eyes filled her vision. She froze and squeezed her eyes shut, but she felt him draw away and drop his hand from her chin.

Yuuki scanned his face for hurt at her hesitation. Finding none, she mentally cursed herself for feeling both relief, and a disappointment she registered on an almost physical level, that he had drawn back. She now wondered if he had intended to kiss her as she had thought. "Kaname-senpai…"

Raising his eyebrows, he waited for a moment for her to continue. When it became obvious she couldn't form any words, he finally sighed as he leaned forward to the table in front of the couch and opened a small lacquer box. He dropped a familiar white tablet into his own goblet and poured a measure of water into it from a cut glass pitcher.

"Yes?" he prompted, as he reclined back and crossed his legs in a liquid movement, sipping the synthetic blood. Despite the deep wound on his neck and his innermost self revealed to Yuuki, he looked as refined as ever in his grey silk shirt and black pants as he watched her.

Yuuki struggled with herself for a moment, not quite meeting his eyes. "You are weakening because of me. The blood tablets aren't helping you…"

His relaxed posture and expression didn't change, but his gaze sharpened.

She was bewildered by the intensity of his stare and wondered what he was thinking. To gather her thoughts safely away from is hypnotic regard, she suddenly decided to take an interest in the carpet. "I don't want to see you hurting. Why don't you feed from me? You haven't since..." _Please say yes, so you'll feel better. _A deep voice inside of her pointed out that it would also ease her guilt for what she was doing and she felt a tug of shame. "Well, you can if you want."

"Hmm, 'feed on you'?" He finally said in a musing voice, as if it had never occurred to him. Yuuki eyes flicked back to his face trying to read it, but her confusion increased when she saw him smiling one-sidedly as if something was secretly amusing him. She noticed; however, the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Do you ever get tired of charity cases, Yuuki?" he asked in suspiciously light voice.

Her bewilderment increased and then her mouth dropped open in shock as she wondered if he meant Zero drinking her blood. _Does he mean the first time? Or does he know it happened..._"W-what...?" Yuuki managed through numb lips.

"So, how does this go?" Kaname continued in the same smooth tone as her words trailed off into blushing silence, setting his glass down. Before she was entirely sure what had happened, she was lifted onto Kaname's lap, her back pressed into his hard frame. One of his arms circled her ribcage beneath her breasts in a snug embrace but a small squeeze suggested he wasn't using a fraction of his strength. His unoccupied hand slid into her mass of hair, a pale spider nestled in against the dark strands, and pulled her head firmly to the side to expose her neck.

"Am I doing this right?" he whispered in a tone of polite inquiry, his breath tickling the tender skin over her pulse point.

Yuuki held her breath as she registered the strange and erotic sensation of his fangs moving under his velvety lips. She closed her eyes, waiting for Kaname to profane the ritual...

* * *

**A/N: My first attempt at a VK story. I recently discovered this manga and now I'm hooked, especially on Yuuki x Kaname. I'm extremely impatient for the next chapter to come out so I whipped this up. I proofed it, but it hasn't been seen by anyone else so excuse my inevitable errors. -sweats- I'm not really sure how it turned out so please leave me a review and let me know what you think. I'll continue if there's enough interest in it. :)**

**Thanks for reading! Oh, and it's rated 'T' for now, but any later chapters will probably be rated 'M'. I can't help it; I'm a bad girl. XP**


	2. Confession

**Yuuki held her breath as she registered the strange and erotic sensation of his fangs moving under his velvety lips. She closed her eyes, waiting for Kaname to profane the ritual...**

* * *

The antique clock's pendulum swung back and forth, ticking off the seconds with its usual mechanical precision.

Yuuki was dimly aware of it, even now, as she felt the points of Kaname's incisors pressed against her fluttering pulse. She could see them in her mind's eye, exerting just enough pressure to dimple the vulnerable skin of her neck, but not enough to penetrate. As she waited for his fangs to slice into her flesh, Yuuki questioned in growing incoherence, the clock's mundane assertion that time was passing as always when they remained poised there.

Another second droned by when she wondered how Kaname was keeping his viciously sharp fangs in such a precarious position without actually puncturing her flesh, Yuuki's eyes opened in surprise when she felt them sheathed once again behind his lips. She exhaled a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

Kaname drew the tip of his nose up her neck and paused behind her ear to inhale deeply. After a sigh, he murmured into her ear, making her shiver, "No, I won't do this. I'm sorry that you believed that I would." He released his hold on her, dropping his hands to his sides. He clenched them together for moment then relaxed them. She had gone along with his ploy to see how she would react to him forcing her. He had held her still and she had submitted to him, making it so easy to act like a beast. Though it hadn't been a close thing, he had nevertheless wavered for a fraction of second, desperate to taste her fragrant blood and get close to her warmth. _No different than Kiryuu._

His mind fell all too easily into a well-worn rut, his obsessive questions and rage-fueled imaginings about what Zero had done to her during the past weeks. _How many times? Did he hurt you? Did he slam you against a wall, push you into a corner, drag you into some broom closet smelling of dust and bleach? _Kaname gritted his fangs together from the safe position behind Yuuki, as an especially vivid image of Zero throwing Yuuki down her bed, grinding his hips against her as he clamped down on her neck with an animal's greed and viciousness.

But the worst part of this image was that as Zero sucked down her blood was the clear picture of Yuuki moaning in pleasure beneath him.

Of all these questions that repeated with nauseating frequency, there was one that gnawed him with its own sharp fangs. The fear about whether Zero brutalized his love during the 'feedings' (and though he hated to admit it, sometimes more), occurred to him yet again.

_Did you like it, Yuuki?_

Unaware of Kaname's bitter line of thought, Yuuki pushed herself awkwardly away from his lap, swallowing when she heard an almost inaudible hiss at her movement. She looked down, plucking at her nightgown, and finally asked in a small voice, "Why won't you?"

Silence made her turn her face towards his and her heart clenched at the subtle lines disappointment drawn on his fine features and was forcibly reminded of one of the many differences between Kaname and Zero. Zero's every emotion was conveyed on his face, in his eyes, the timbre of his voice. With Kaname, feeling was tightly controlled behind the calm aristocratic mask.

However, sometimes the mask slipped. His downcast eyes, the thick crescents of his lashes casting long shadows on his cheeks in the flickering candlelight and a tendon in his jaw flexing almost imperceptibly, affected her far more than an obvious display of hurt.

Finally, enunciating every word clearly, he said, "I don't want to be fed by you," He met her gaze for a moment, and as if to prove this point, he retrieved his wine glass filled with man-made blood and took a drink. Turning his countenance away, he trained his eyes on the large wall of intricately etched windows looking out on the dark, well-manicured grounds. He placed his chin on his palm and was silent.

The clock ticked off another precise and logical minute. _I'm starting to really hate that clock. _Yuuki thought, hugging herself and finally blurting, "But isn't that what I'm doing to you? Why is _that_ okay, Onii-… Kaname-senpai?" _Tell me I'm wrong, please!_

Without turning from the window, he said in a more gentle tone. "You have just been reawakened to your vampire nature and have been deprived for too long. You will want only fresh blood for some time, so don't feel guilty." He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "And I want you to come to me."

Yuuki was forgiven, no, not even that, because he didn't see there was anything to forgive and that made it worse. _I don't think I'll ever understand why he loves me so much, even now that I know everything, after the way I've been pushing him away lately. _

An abrupt desire to crawl back into his lap and wrap her arms around his firm chest was disorientingly strong. She could see herself doing it, pressing her lips to the wound which marked where she had recently bit him, not to feed but to soothe.

A surprisingly rational voice spoke up through her messy mental and contradictory mental state which she had become used to recently._ To be with Kaname-sama, that is your wish. It would make him so happy and it's what you want more than anything, so why don't you?_

But instead, Yuuki drew her knees up to her chest and folded her arms overtop them. "I'm such a disappointment as a lover, aren't I, Kaname-sen-…Onii-sama?" Laying her head down and closing he eyes, she mumbled, "I just wanted to give you something since lately I have given you nothing."

"Yuuki, look at me," Kaname asked in a tone that was impossible to disobey. Yuuki opened her eyes and forgot to breathe when she saw his face hovering inches from hers, his eyes impossibly dark and fathomless. She thought incoherently she could drown, lose herself entirely, if she gazed into their depths too long.

"I can see I'm going to have to make this very clear to you." He ran his hand distractedly though his hair, inadvertently making it look more unruly than usual and sighed. "I don't want anything from you that that is given out of a feeling of obligation, a payment for something that I offer freely, because that, Yuuki, would cheapen it."

"Vampires bite each other for many reasons and it is almost never a matter of simple hunger… that's what humans are for-" A hint of a smile appeared on his features at her shocked expression. "-except for the Night Class, of course."

"They do it, we do it out, out of boredom, loneliness or desire-," He stopped short and a pained expression contorted his features as he read the recollection of his use of Ruka in Yuuki's blush. "-or other reasons," he finished in a curiously flat voice. _Like desperation, _Kaname finished silently.

Yuuki watched this expression, forcibly reminded of the night she had seen him with Ruka. He wore the same look of misery now as he did then and she wondered at it.

Kaname, meanwhile, moved away to take another unenthusiastic drink from his slowly emptying glass. He set it down and fixed his regard on the milky blue vein pulsing under the fragile skin of her neck. To Yuuki, the stare was so intense she almost believed she could feel it like a weight on her skin.

Lifting his eyes, his irises now swirling with crimson sparks, she found it difficult to fill her lungs with air and felt the same spreading warmth in the pit of her stomach she had experienced when she drank his blood. _He just has to look at me and he can make me feel- _

Yuuki derailed her thoughts before they could go further and pulled her eyes away from his hot gaze, dropping her chin. Her already flushed cheeks now felt like they might actually go up in flames when she noticed her dusky nipples clearly visible against the thin cotton of her chemise. She quickly yanked a fistful of fabric away from her chest, a gesture which drew more attention to her aroused state than rather than less. And though she still kept her eyes focused on the vicinity of her feet, she did not miss his slow grin out of her peripheral vision.

"But most of all a vampire craves the bite of their lover," Kaname said huskily, brushing his index finger over Yuuki's cheekbone and moving downward to trace her lips, applying a slight pressure to part them slightly and glide over the smooth surface of her fangs.

Yuuki was too shocked at this strange caress to react, suddenly remembering touching his fangs in much the same way when she was a little girl with no memories, or even speech to help fill the vast silent blankness of her mind. She had been fascinated with the beautiful boy who had saved her.

Yuuki scrunched her eyes closed and her pulse quickened as his finger skated over the curves of her fangs, she reflected that the same touch could be so innocent once and now be incredibly seductive.

He continued, close enough so that she could feel the cool silk of his hair against her ear. "Then it can give sublime pleasure. You know that I do when I feel your fangs, don't you?"

She clutched her hands together on her knees, recalling during one of the evening feedings she had felt the hard ridge of his arousal pressed against her thigh, and after telling herself she needed to stop and failing, she had made the contemptible compromise of being careful where to position herself when she bit him in the future.

Now, still afraid to look at him because she was nervous about what she might see on his face, she kept her eyes safely shut. She didn't know if he wanted an answer, so she settled for a nod, which was all she could trust herself with at the moment.

"When you want me as I want you, when you truly receive me as your lover, I will, Yuuki," he promised in a fervent murmur. He became very still, ceasing his gentle exploration when her eyes opened and she shrank away from him to the other corner of the couch.

Kaname felt unusual tears stinging his eyes and he quickly turned away, placing his palms over them in order to hide his reaction to her rejection. _I'm tired. That's_ _why it's harder to control myself around her tonight_. He took a few measured breaths, inhaling through his nostrils and exhaling through his mouth, to regain his equilibrium.

When he was satisfied his face was composed and his voice wouldn't shake, he lowered his hands and stated in a peaceful tone, "But since you now find my touch shameful, I won't."

"Because you still aren't sure if it is right to love me." Kaname picked up his glass and swirled the contents before finishing it off. "Because I am your brother." He set it down and gave her a level stare, taking in the tense set of her mouth. "I thought you had accepted it, so what has caused this distance between us?"

Yuuki shook her head, reluctantly opened her mouth to say something and then closed it again._ Zero, of course_, she answered in her mind, thinking the words she couldn't speak to the man she loved.


	3. Loss of Faith

**"Because you still aren't sure if it is right to love me." Kaname picked up his glass and swirled the contents before finishing it off. "Because I am your brother." He set it down and gave her a level stare, taking in the tense set of her mouth. "I thought you had accepted it, so what has caused this distance between us?"**

**Yuuki shook her head, reluctantly opened her mouth to say something and then closed it again.**

_**Zero, of course**_**, she answered in her mind, thinking the words she couldn't speak to the man she loved.**

* * *

Unable to withstand Kaname's steady and intense scrutiny, which gave Yuuki the distinct impression that despite her silence he could read the answer to his question on her over-expressive face, Yuuki rose from the couch. She was keenly aware of his eyes upon her as she padded her way over to the window to try to think of a way to respond to him.

Her wine-red eyes unfocused and hazy, she gripped the frame of the window trying to make sense of the past few weeks, unaware that she was splintering the hardwood due to her abstraction and new vampiric strength.

_What has caused the distance? So much has happened… nothing makes sense anymore. It's so hard to figure out who I'm supposed to be, my human upbringing and my vampire beginning… the only common thread is _him, _the only thing that I can see clearly. He is to me…_

_And then… that's right, what happened with Zero, made me doubt him. _

* * *

**Three Weeks Earlier**

Yuuki leapt off roof, Artemis still clutched in her fist, as she followed Zero. She saw him sprinting away at a great distance into the forest and she put on burst of speed to catch up, ignoring the sounds of battle coming from the surrounding buildings. She kept her attention fixed on his slim form. The vines bursting from his skin were waving like seaweed under water as Yuuki kept pace behind him. She hoped he his haste meant he knew where their target was.

Her respiration light and effortless, she registered a wave of nausea as she thought of who they pursured. _Rido, Oji-sama_.

She stopped short when she reached a small clearing in the dense trees and saw Zero standing absolutely still in the center, the creeping, thorny vines no longer visible and the Bloody Rose once again in his hand. _What are those things? Are they part of his gun? Like the scythe is now part of Artemis?_

Picking her way through the snow covered leaves on the ground, she approached his bare back. "Zero? What-"

"Shh," he lowered his head and Yuuki saw a puff of his breath form a cloud in the cold air. He remained that way for a few moments and Yuuki did her best not to shift restlessly on her feet as she waited.

Zero half-turned his head, a deep frown etching his face. "I don't know where he is. I heard him and just now I thought I felt _something_-"

He clutched his gun, making his knuckles whiten. "-but now it's gone. My attack, I know it didn't finish him, so where is he?"

Zero turned his full attention upon Yuuki, his violet eyes too bright. "He doesn't seem like one to hide, so what's he doing?"

"You're asking me like I know what he's thinking," Yuuki countered, gripping her own weapon tighter.

"Don't all of you Purebloods think alike? he asked, loathing evident in his tone as he gazed upon her new preternatural beauty.

Yuuki took a steadying breath to keep herself from bursting into tears at the coldness in his tone. When she replied, her voice was surprisingly calm to her ears. "Are you going to stand hear and insult me or are we going to try to find him?"

Zero sighed. "No."

"'No', what?" Yuuki asked, exasperation evident in her tone.

"I'm going to find him; you're going to stay here," Zero stated in a flat voice, not meeting her eye.

"No!"

"We don't have time for this," he gritted out.

Yuuki felt a tightness in her chest at being swept aside. "I'm tired of sitting somewhere safe while everyone protects me and suffers. If I don't go with you, then what was the point of staying behind, of not going with-"

"Kaname-sama… ?" His said in derision, as he finished her thought. He took in her tormented expression at the mention of his enemy's name and then continued. "You stayed to protect the school, didn't you? To keep on being a Guardian, right? So, do your job then. I'll find him… it's my job."

He saw she was wavering and he felt a hot bubble of bile burning his throat at his next words, but he kept his voice even. "Stay and protect the Night Class. You know it's what Kuran would want you to do."

"And _I_ said I'd stand at your side. I promised," Yuuki stated calmly.

"And I don't want you to." He saw her stricken expression and felt a painful, but intense exhilaration as he uttered his next words. "Your promises mean nothing now, Yuuki."

He turned away from her without another word and was obscured under the dark canopy of oak trees. A slim line of white and silver in the gloom was visible to her perceptive eyes for a moment before he was gone.

_Not even a 'goodbye'. _Yuuki's lips trembled and her vision wavered as tears blurred her eyes. Holding her temples, she swiped at her eyes with rough movements. Finally, after taking some deep breaths, she squared her and hurried back towards the Academy grounds. _He's right in a way, if the Night Class is lost than the chance for peace will be gone forever. If that's true, then that's definitely where I should be._

As she considered this, leaping down an overgrown path, she was unaware of a pair of disembodied eyes watching her avidly.

One was blue and one was blood-red.

* * *

"Yuuki? What's wrong?" Headmaster Kaien Cross questioned, trying to settle himself comfortably under his patchwork quilt. It was difficult; however, given his multitude of lacerations and his fractured wrist.

But his aches and pains seemed unimportant as he watched his adopted daughter's desolate expression from the chair by his bed.

"Huh?" She realized she had been staring off into crackling, fireplace for some time and forced her lips into a cheerful smile. "Nothing, Chair… father." She tentatively touched the back of his injured hand which was lying on the coverlet, his white bandage bright against it. She felt a wave of love for the man who had fought so bravely (and fiercely) for his school and his beloved students. He had turned into a different person during the battle with the invading vampires and hunters, he had seemed younger, stronger and strangely sad.

Now meeting his warm amber eyes, she reflected he had returned to his former paternal guise complete with his old-fashioned spectacles and lumpy cardigan.

"Yuuki, I'm not blind. I can see you're troubled." He winced as he shifted and one of his aches cried in protest. "You can tell me, if you'd like."

"Is it those we lost?" he ventured after a time.

Yuuki thought of the members of Night Class who hadn't been as lucky as the Chairman and gave their lives protecting their Day Class counterparts. None of them had been close to her, but they had been a familiar presence each evening when the gates had swung open from the Night Dorm. She wondered what they had been thinking when they died and how their families felt. She regretted that their beautiful faces were forever lost to world.

She shook her head, knowing that wasn't what the true problem was. "I'm worried," Yuuki finally answered, staring out the window where snowflakes were swirling in the night sky. "It's been days."

"Zero-kun will return, of course." He registered a look of remorse in her luminous eyes and continued, guessing that their parting was difficult.

The Chairman shot her a shrewd glance. "Kaname-kun will, too. He's the most capable young man I've ever met.

Yuuki nodded too quickly and gave him a brief smile. She studied his face for long moments. "Did you…?" She released his hand and made herself busy with smoothing the blanket around him. "Never mind."

"Yes, Yuuki?"

Watching her shake her head, showing her unwillingness to speak further, the injured man leaned over and lifted a basket of yarn off his nightstand. He pulled the needles out and carefully began looping strands of green wool about them. "I do love to knit. It's so relaxing," he announced pleasantly.

Yuuki listened to the comforting sounds of his needles clicking together and watched in fascination as neat woven squares of fabric emerged from the mess of thread, though not as quickly as she knew he was capable due to his injuries. It was commonplace magic that never failed to soothe and delight her.

_Clack-clack_. "Did you know everything?" Yuuki found herself speaking, not taking her eyes of the whirring needles.

"Yes, I knew," he said, choosing a new color and weaving it into the previous herringbone design. "He told me everything, although with reluctance."

He thought back to the day when Kaname Kuran had arrived on his doorstep with a little girl clinging to his side.

_I know who you are and what your relationship is to our family, Hunter Kaien Cross. You said if there was anything you could ever do to repay her you would and this request makes a certain amount of sense given what you took, don't you think?_

Despite his youth, Kaname's words and bearing held the unmistakable ring of confidence and authority as he addressed the Hunter with his proposition. But when the Pureblood's eyes shifted to the terrified child watching them blankly, his stern expression disappeared and contorted into one of sorrow. He led her into the next room and and placed her on a squashy sofa and did his best not to see the lost, pleading look on her face as he shut the door on her with a quiet _snick_.

Kaname had returned his attention to Cross and his next words held a soft, humble note which surprised the ex-Hunter and the man realized despite what Kaname was, _who_ he was, was a young boy who was very much alone and was now praying he could rely on the kindness of a stranger.

_So, will you do what I cannot? Will you take care of my sister, please? _The quiet dignity of his plea touched Cross and while Kaname waited for an answer the older man's heart opened to him.

"Does it bother you that I never told you?" he asked now as he rummaged through his yarn basket and pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Sometimes," Yuuki answered, not quite meeting his eye, as she plucked a spool out she liked and offered it to a pleased Cross, "when I was younger I would have given anything to have known where I came from… who my family was, if they loved me." She said this slowly, remembering the look on her mother's face when she hummed her a lullaby, her father's rich voice when he read or a story (or better yet made one up for her on the spot), and most clearly, the feel of Kaname's hands rubbing soothing circles on her shaking back when she awoke from a nightmare, all the capering terrors of her dreams disappearing into nothingness as he enfolded her in his arms.

She looked back into the intent eyes of the Chairman, who had stopped weaving and thought, _Maybe it was better not to remember. How could I have gotten through those years knowing what I had lost?_

Yuuki saw the downward turn of her adoptive father's eyes and knew he was probably guessing what she was thinking. "But most of the time I was too happy to think about it," she said with a small smile.

The Chairman's eyes lit up and he clasped his hands together under his chin in a gesture that would be more familiar on a teenage girl than a grown man. "Thank you, Yuuki." For a second, it looked like he might spring from the bed and display one of his fits of exuberance by hugging her, but since he wasn't well, he instead settled for squeezing her hand for a moment. He took up his needles, a warm smile playing on his lips.

She watched him affectionately, understanding the sudden need to weave an afghan was a clever ploy to make her comfortable enough to speak. "I think I'm going to go for a walk, if you think you don't need anything else."

He flapped his hand at her to go, but as she rose, he cleared his throat. "Yuuki, I was tempted to tell you and came close a few times when you seemed-"

He looked at the ceiling, searching for the word and then returned his attention to her. "-bewildered by the spell placed upon you. I was concerned about your mental state, but I held myself back because the only person who had a right to tell you was Kaname-kun."

Yuuki thought about it and nodded. "Yes, I think I understand that." She crossed the room and heard him call after her to put on a coat and shook her head, smiling. _Like I can catch a cold now._

As she stepped out into the night, she was immediately coated with a cold frosting of fine snowflakes, which clung to her hair and thick eyelashes. She folded her arms across her midsection more out of habit than in discomfort and was unable to stop herself from recalling how many times she stood in this very spot in front of the cottage waiting for Kaname to show up for one of his rare visits, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet in impatience and straining her ears to hear the soft crunch of footsteps on the blanket of snow. _It was almost always snowing when he came. _

_It was snowing then, too_. Her thoughts turned to the night Kaname awakened her on the precarious ledge of the Night Dorm. Though half-conscious and experiencing a growing confusion that she knew would have eventually led to madness, she could remember each sensation as if it had been burned upon her mind, the way after gazing at the sun you could still it for a few moments when you shut your eyes, except her memory of his bite didn't fade as the after image of the sun on a retina.

Yuuki choked on a sob, and fell to the cold ground allowing herself to give in to the despair she was trying to hide from Cross and everyone else she had to see on a daily basis around the academy. Holding her knees to her chest, she prayed for the first time she was a little girl. _Please, I don't know if you will listen to a creature like me, but if you could, please let Kaname-sama come back… I would do anything to see him again._

She turned her face to the sky and let the snowflakes fall on her face and melt where they mingled with her tears, knowing that it must be the deepest blasphemy for a vampire to ask God for anything. She wasn't entirely sure if she believed in his existence anyway. _But we have souls and I don't feel evil and I know Kaname-sama isn't, so is it so wrong to ask for help?_ she questioned the indifferent sky.

As the snow fell and long moments passed, Yuuki realized she _was_ listening for footfalls and felt incredibly foolish that she believed that her prayer would be answered, that really a part of her was still girl enough to believe if she wished hard enough she could make Kaname appear and race into his warm embrace as she did so many times in the past.

She wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her dress and snorted bitterly at her childishness, but her eyes widened as she heard the sound she wanted to hear most, the scrunch of snow underfoot as someone approached.

Yuuki whipped her head around and saw through the falling snow a tall figure walking towards her down the path of birches. Her heartbeat sped up as she saw his hair framing his face like a dark corona and she stood up and sprinted forward meet him, her happiness and relief lifting the heaviness of her heart to the point that as she ran, she wondered giddily if her feet were touching the ground.

But as she neared the now still man-shape, she stopped herself short, her glad smile vanishing as if it were never there.

"Hello, Yuuki," Zero greeted, holding his torn shirt together at his pale waist. An icy smile twisted his lips. "Sorry I'm not who you expected."

A guilty expression appeared on her face as she wondered how she could have been so mistaken. _The wrong face, the wrong hair… his hair's darker because of the snow. That's why I believed... No, it's because I wanted it to be Kaname-sama so much I made myself see him._

"Don't be stupid, of course I'm happy you're back," she said more stiffly than she wanted. She longed to put her arms around him to make his words a lie, but his hostile expression and his cruel words to her at their last meeting, held her at arms length.

"You're a horrible liar, Yuuki." His violet eyes looked through her as if she wasn't there.

"Fine, Zero. So, why don't you tell me what happened?" she asked trying to keep her voice steady.

"I found him, your uncle," he answered after a moment, looking off into the distance.

"And?" She crossed and uncrossed her arms, trying not to appear nervous.

"I killed him." He glanced at her momentarily and saw she was waiting for more. "I shot him and then I ripped his heart out of his chest and then he-″

Yuuki's eyes were huge in her face as she imagined one of the thorny protrusions shattering through Rido's chest cavity and crushing his still beating heart into pulp.

Zero continued, "-he vanished... turned into dust."

He held his breath, clutching his fists at his side.

Yuuki watched him closely as the snowstorm intensified around them. "He's gone then." Relief was evident in her features.

After a quick nod, Zero exhaled and relaxed his hands.

Yuuki shifted her weight from one foot to the other, debating on whether she should try to touch him. Gripping his tattered shirt about him, he looked more lost and alone than she had ever seen him. After a long debate, she decided against it, both because she was afraid he would push her away roughly and because she admitted she would be forcing herself to do it, making it something false.

"Thank you, Zero," she said simply after minute of heavy silence, her eyes shining. "Why don't you come inside with me and get warm?"

His expression thawed momentarily, but he shook his head. He studied Yuuki, his eyes narrowing into cruel slits as his eyes roamed over her painfully beautiful face and traveled downward to take in her small breasts. He was unaware of his eyes shifting from violet to red as he stared at her.

Yuuki caught his glance and fought the urge to cover herself from his gaze and take a step back.

Zero swallowed and released a wavering breath, but then a smile completely devoid of humor appeared on his face. "Kuran should really thank me as soon as he gets back, too."

"What are you talking about?" Yuuki was immediately suspicious, knowing Zero's opinion of Kaname. His hatred was clear in his clipped tone and his omission of an honorific after Kaname's name.

"Because he's finally gotten what he's always wanted. Now, there's nothing to stop your dear brother from taking you whenever he likes," he stated this in a false light voice that could have been as used as easily to talk about the weather.

Yuuki drew in a shocked breath at his abrupt turn in mood and choice in words, her tender feelings for him disappearing as he hurt her in the most effective way possible. "Zero! It isn't like that."

"Heh, that's exactly how it is and you know it, or why would you be so upset?" he asked, pleased to see the uncertainty in her face.

Breathing rapidly, Yuuki's voice trembled. "We're engaged. It isn't the same with Purebloods as it is with humans."

"Oh, really? Listen to yourself, Yuuki. You can't even call it what it really is--incest." He paused for effect. "And you said what we did was unforgiveable."

"Kaname-senpai doesn't see anything wrong with us being together," Yuuki retorted, now crossing her arms defensively.

"You're such a fool, Yuuki." He pressed on, grinning at her stricken face, enjoying the pain he was causing her as much as his own. "If that's true, if Kuran is so _pure_ in his intentions, then why was it necessary for him to force you into being his lover before he told you the truth?"

His smile broadened as he saw her flinch at his words, truly considering them. "Yeah, if he knew you would accept it, why didn't he just tell you first? Instead of just being honest with you he put a price on the information you wanted most. And if that weren't enough, instead of telling you like a person who really cared about you would, he selfishly turned you into a vampire so you wouldn't have a choice but to do as he wanted."

Yuuki knew he was oversimplifying and distorting the events of the past few weeks through his lens of anger and disappointment, but inside a worm of doubt ate away at her calm assurance in Kaname's devotion.

"But he loves me," Yuuki protested with the best argument she had to Zero's compelling logic, but she hated how weak her voice sounded to her ears.

"Maybe," Zero granted, "but how different is his _love _compared to your Uncle's, Yuuki? It's the kind of sick, twisted love that eats the thing it lusts for until there is nothing left."

Yuuki's hands flew to her face like frightened birds as she remembered her uncle's hot breath in her ear and her revulsion as he confessed his desire for her, for her mother… his sister.

"It's n-not the same!" Two hectic patches of red stood out high on her pale cheeks. "My uncle was evil, Kaname isn't."

Zero felt a deep disgust and frustration at her complete blindness concerning Kaname's character, but he tried to keep his face hard and impassive to the miserable look on her face. "Kuran has already taken away your humanity, and once he returns he'll take your virginity, right?"

Yuuki shook her head in negation, her breath coming in harsh gasps, and then turned on her heel and dashed away as fast as her feet could carry her into the forest, unable to look at Zero's knowing face any longer. She still heard his voice following her and she quickened her pace in order to escape it.

"He's using you, Yuuki. It's what he does best!"

She clapped her hands over her ears to drown him out as she pushed through the thick undergrowth.

Zero watched her progress, his grin fading as he clenched his fangs and fought back salty tears.

A deep, delighted voice spoke up in his mind. _You're a good boy, Kiryuu_.

_Shut up, monster_.

Deranged howls of laughter echoed in his thoughts.

* * *

**Yay, another chapter finished! I think this installment answers some of the questions from the first two (I hope). And it was a lot of fun writing Zero. **

**I did miss Kaname, however. :( He'll be back soon though. In fact, the next chapter is pretty much done.**

**Here's a sample. :)**

_"Yuuki?" Kaname's voice, thicker than usual, floated over from the couch._

_She turned and caught her breath at rings of scarlet revolving in mesmerizing, not quite random, patterns in his dark irises. _He can smell it._ Abruptly removing her finger from her mouth, Yuuki was painfully aware of the sexual act she was miming. She clasped her hands behind her back guiltily, looking like a little girl who was playing with something she shouldn't._

_Yuuki saw his nails score the back of the couch as he watched her, and she waited for him to give in and take her blood with which she was cruelly tempting him..._

**Erm, once again, I didn't get a chance to get this betaed, so hopefully I didn't abuse the English language too badly (I'm sorry if I did).**

**Most importantly, I want to thank those of you who once again took the time to review this story. I think I thanked everyone individually but if I missed you I apologize and... I thank you now. :D It really does motivate me to keep going. I write for me, but also for you, so hearing that you enjoy it really means a lot.**

**Thank you so much for reading!**


	4. Catharsis Part One

**A/N: To make this chapter a little easier to understand, I put dividers between past and present events. Hopefully, it helps. *crosses fingers***

**Present**

Yuuki rested her head against the cold glass, her warm breath condensing into a fog upon it.

Her last conversation with Zero repeated in her mind, the painful words which filled her with confusion about Kaname's intentions retained all their power now as when he had first uttered them weeks ago. But the shame he made her feel even worse about her love for her brother, whom she knew was--at this moment--watching her from the couch at her back.

She remembered her strained reunion with Kaname, winced, and gripped the window frame tighter. It had been a few days after her encounter with Zero. She had made an effort to avoid him so she had officially moved into Kaname's suite, much to the relief of Kain and Aidou, who were still taking their guard duty of her seriously.

* * *

**Two Weeks Earlier**

Kaname had come striding across the grand entry way, stray snowflakes strewn in his black hair like diamonds. He had scanned the room dismissing the awed refrains of 'Kaname-sama' from the Night Class and fixated on Yuuki, an unrestrained expression of happiness lighting up his face.

"Could you give me a moment?" he had requested at his follower's pleas for information, taking the most direct route for his sister. They had subsided, although Aidou shifted on his feet.

If Kaname noticed he didn't give a sign as he wrapped his arms around Yuuki and pressed his body to her much smaller one as if he couldn't get close enough. He murmured quietly enough into her hair so the others wouldn't hear, "I was so afraid I would never see you again."

She had tentatively slid her arms around his waist, smelling the delicious scent of clean, chilly air clinging his clothing. She inhaled more deeply, also catching the fragrance of night-blooming flowers, sandalwood and something less definable…darker and masculine. Yuuki closed her eyes. _His unique scent...h__e's here, he's alive, _she thought disjointedly, relief filling her being.

She felt his lips stroke her hair as he breathed. "My sweet, brave Yuuki." Without thinking about it, she molded herself closer to his lean frame, reveling in his solidity. They both sighed in unison, but when Yuuki felt the urgent press of something growing hard against her abdomen, she swallowed, feeling her knees go weak, as a curious awareness stirred to life between her thighs. "I hope we can be alone soon," Kaname continued in fervent whisper.

Her heart hammered against her breastbone when she dropped her arms awkwardly at her sides. "Kana-Onii-sama, I missed you, too," she muttered into his overcoat. Zero's angry face seemed very clear to her at that moment, though she hadn't seen him in days. The grey-haired hunter's voice rang in her mind, _"...when he comes back he'll take your..."_

Kaname had pulled back, sensing her hesitation, his hands resting on her shoulders as he studied her face. There was no hint of his previous smile present. Yuuki looked down to escape the force of his gaze and the flicker of sadness she read in his eyes before she dropped her own.

She looked around and blushed as she remembered the she and Kaname were surrounded by a loose circle of waiting vampires. Most of them were studiously looking elsewhere as if they didn't want to seem to be witnessing something private, but Yuuki noticed that Ruka, from her position near Kain, looked especially uncomfortable.

One of the onlookers didn't avert his eyes, however. Aidou was bestowing an unfriendly stare at the young Pureblood, his aquamarine eyes unusually cold. Yuuki shifted her glance away in confusion.

From his side, Kain's eyes flicked to Kaname, testing the emotional water. Not liking the increasingly frosty glare Kaname was directing at Aidou, he shot his cousin a warning glance and then addressed Kaname.

"Kaname-sama? I know you must be tired, but we have much to discuss... the Council and Rido-sama."

He cleared his throat, his usually unruffled demeanor belied by the slight unsteadiness of his tone. "We also thought perhaps Ichijou might return with you. Did you see him?"

Kaname's eyes returned to Yuuki for a moment, who had subtly distanced herself from him. Removing his hands from her shoulders, he answered Kain's last question. "I saw Ichijou." He paused, speaking more to himself than Kain, "I don't know if he will return."

Kain digested this in silence, then finally stated in flat voice, "Your uncle is gone."

"Yes, I know," Kaname answered, his attention returning to Yuuki when she hugged herself. "I would have sensed him if were here." Kain was curious about this last remark but remained quiet, a habit he wished Aidou would practice more often.

"And I spoke to Kiryuu," Kaname finished, not missing Yuuki's flinch at hearing his name.

He saw from the corner of his eyes Aidou opening his mouth to say something, but restrained him with an upraised palm. "I think I will retire. We can discuss this later, if you wish."

Kaname held out his hand, and fixed Yuuki with a meaningful stare.

Yuuki hesitated briefly before taking it and she felt a film of sweat forming on her forehead as he led her up the curving staircase to his suite.

* * *

**Present**

As Yuuki recalled what had happened in his bedroom, a single tear slipped from beneath her eyelid and her grip on the window frame tightened convulsively as the images played out in her mind.

She hissed in surprise when she felt a large splinter pricked her index finger and sucked at the fat bead of blood welling up automatically.

"Yuuki?" Kaname's voice, thicker than usual, seemed to float from the direction of the couch.

She turned and caught her breath at rings of scarlet revolving in mesmerizing--not quite random--patterns in his dark irises.

_He can smell it_.

Abruptly removing her finger from her mouth, Yuuki was painfully aware of the sexual act she was miming. She clasped her hands behind her back guiltily, looking like a little girl who was playing with something she shouldn't.

Yuuki saw his nails score the back of the couch as he watched her, and she waited for him to give in and take her blood with which she was cruelly tempting him. She held onto window, now in order to brace herself, as she saw him rise and stalk over to where she was standing, his fangs visibly elongated over his lips making his normally gentle face look cruel and predatory…terrible and beautiful.

Yuuki kept herself still as he circled her wrist and bent over her wounded finger, feeling his breath bathing it as he inhaled and exhaled. Closing her eyes, she felt the tip of his tongue touch her skin and then glide over it while he made a deep sound in the back of his throat.

She felt the tip of his incisor and closed her eyes, knowing well that his bite would come next…but her eyes flew open in surprise when she instead felt the splinter delicately pulled out of her flesh with his fangs.

Yuuki stared at the top his head, which was still bowed over her hand, in wide-eyed amazement. He produced a pristine white handkerchief from his pocket and carefully wrapped her finger though the cut was already healing thanks to all of his potent blood she been drinking lately. It made her painfully aware of the angry looking wound on his neck.

He fastened the bandage with a tidy knot and straightened, turning his eyes upon her, where the previous fire had burned down to embers. "There, all better." He stroked her palm with his thumb briefly before he released her hand.

"I'm sorry, Kaname- Onii-sama," Yuuki said, her voice quavering.

"For what?" he asked, his eyebrows rising in perfect arches.

She shifted and covered her face.

He placed his hands on hers and removed them, holding them for moment before letting go, when she didn't reply. "Are you sorry about the window, or because you don't trust me?"

He shook his head at her silence, and ran his fingers through his hair in his familiar self-soothing gesture at her silence. "What did you think I was going to do to you just now?" he finally asked, his face a study in misery.

"I… don't know." Yuuki replied, her voice cracking entirely on the last word.

"Yes, you do. You think that I was going to attack you because you pricked your finger." He shook his head slowly. "Or… what? Something worse? Kiss you? Try to make love to you? Now, that would be really unforgiveable, wouldn't it?"

Kaname felt despair filling his being like black water at her shocked silence. Nothing he had done in the past few weeks to gain her faith had worked, sharing his quarters with the woman he desired while keeping discreetly distant had been a quiet exercise in torture, but he had accepted it as necessary in order for her to move beyond whatever fears she had.

He found it ironic that after everything they had shared before his absence, that they were now truly living as brother and sister.

The only time they shared any intimacy was her furtive, shame-filled feedings.

He stared out the abused window, remembering her tentative welcome after his annihilation of the Council and how he had desperately tried to hide his distress. His feigned expression of calm assurance had taken all of his considerable willpower to maintain in front of the onlookers and even more so for Yuuki. It had gone far beyond hurt.

He had been shattered.

* * *

**Two Weeks Earlier**

But fresh from his return from the council, he couldn't believe that the closeness they had finally achieved before he had departed was now gone. He had taken her to his room, hoping she could relax enough away from the watchful eyes of his followers to tell him what was wrong, but to each of his questions she had only stammered, growing more and more agitated.

She had finally burst into hysterical tears and he had gathered her into his arms, trying to ignore her shaking, believing if he held her long enough she would calm down, but she had remained tense and rigid against him. He had pulled back, trying to control his racing emotions when she flinched away from him, her fearful dazed look reminding him of rabbit in a snare. He hesitated before sinking to his knees in a fluid motion and laid his head on her lap in exhaustion.

He felt her gasp of surprise and then the tension leaving her body, as he knelt at her feet, mutely asking for her to trust him. Sighing, he let his eyes slide shut as her small fingers smoothed his hair. Her hands moved lower and hesitantly stroked his neck and shoulders, stopping briefly before she started lightly massaging them, kneading the taut muscles.

It was all the invitation Kaname's weary, desiring heart needed. He had placed his hands on her knees, gently coaxing them apart so he could insinuate himself closer. He stared into her eyes, so much like his own, for a long moment before he brushed a soft kiss on her lips.

She had let him, her lips pliant and tasting of her drying tears beneath his, parting them when his tongue swept across them, pleading for entrance. He had felt exaltation when the tips of their tongues had tentatively touched; thinking with difficulty through the red haze of his desire that he should have kissed her first, it would have made things much simpler.

But then she had drawn back, an unmistakable look of fear in her tight features.

And then she had wiped her lips, as if to wipe away the kiss. He didn't think she did it consciously, but it had made him feel deeply ashamed for trying.

* * *

**Present**

_She made me feel filthy for loving her. _He thought now, staring out the window with unseeing eyes.

Kaname took a deep breath despite the tightness in his chest and gazed upon Yuuki's streaming eyes, willing himself not to be moved and failing miserably. But he forced his expression into cool, neutral lines. "I don't know what happened to change your feelings toward me while I was gone, although I can guess."

Her mouth opened in a surprised 'o' at the turn of his words. _He knows what Zero said._ "Kaname-sen-…Onii-sama-"

Kaname held up his hand before she offered a defense, or--even worse--started lying for Zero. His hatred towards the vampire hunter twisted and writhed in his gut and he felt the tight reign he kept on his anger slipping.

Kaname relaxed slightly when she subsided. He said after a moment, "It doesn't matter, does it? Because if the doubt wasn't there to begin with, nothing _anyone_ could say would change your feelings towards me. Just listen to yourself, Yuuki. You're so confused you cannot even figure out what to call me."

He waited counting of the seconds his clock dutifully measured, as she wrung her hands and finally nodded.

Kaname's heart thudded dully in his chest at his next words. To have seen a glimpse of what it could have been like with his love to have it yanked away was far worse than never knowing, of hiding in the shadows and wondering. "Yuuki, if you trust me so little. If you find me so-"

He swallowed and hesitated as she shook her head violently enough to make her hair fly, but forced himself to continue. "-repulsive, then I think it would be best if-"

Kaname's eyes widened when her hand shot forward and covered his mouth. "Please don't say it."

"I know I don't have the right to ask but please, d-don't make me-″ Yuuki choked out, her hand dropping to her side.

Kaname inhaled sharply as he watched her mouth work and her eyes fill and overflow. After a moment, her head slumped against his frame as she buried his face in his chest, her hot tears quickly soaking into his shirt.

* * *

**A/N again: Phew, sorry about the delay on the update. I have been crazy busy and to top it off I accidently deleted the file which contained this chapter from my hard drive so I had to start from scratch. That really sucked. I know I left this off in mid-emotional breakdown and I apologize for that but I wanted to get something up before I got completely discouraged about my lack of updates.**

**But here's the good news: This is only the first half of this chapter. I didn't post the rest because it still needs work and it was turning into a book in itself. Very soon (I really, really hope) I'll have the rest posted. To those of you who are wondering where the M rated content is, it will start rearing it's head more in the next chapter and progress from there. Believe me, I'm impatient, too.**

**Thank you time. :D **

**First, to Kate, thank you so much for taking time from your busy schedule to look this chapter over for me and give me some great suggestions. :D**

**Second, I don't ****like singling reviewers out because every review, I cherish, but I have to thank you, ****Sagakure, for your support of each chapter. You do so much for the VK community so it really touches me that you take the time review my story. Tha****nk you so much for that and everything you do. *bows***

**Third, there were some anonymous reviewers who left some amazing reviews but I feel really bad that I can't thank you personally because there is no way for me to reply. I make it a point to thank each reviewer so I feel like you were shafted.**** So to '****mermaid' and 'just a fan', I thank you profusely for amazing words. I was really touched.**

**Fourth, I once again thank ALL who took time to review. You make my day and keep me motivated to continue. You make this all worth while, actually. :D :D**

**Til next time, much love, Arret.**


	5. Catharsis Part Two

**Kaname inhaled sharply as he watched her mouth work and her eyes fill and overflow. After a moment, her head slumped against his frame as she buried his face in his chest, her hot tears quickly soaking into his shirt.**

* * *

Kaname caught her by her elbows before Yuuki could fall to the floor. He held her close feeling her rapid heartbeat against his chest and settled his chin on the top of her head.

Bringing one hand up, he ran his fingers through her hair slowly, knowing from long experience it soothed her when she was upset. He felt her scalding tears against his skin and waited for her to get out whatever poison which was eating her up from the inside.

Kaname's decision to offer her the choice to leave was pushed from his mind as he felt her heartbeat slow and her respiration even out. And when he felt her arms slide around his waist he smiled into her hair, delighted she wasn't standing stock-still with her hands plastered at her sides as she usually did when he embraced her.

He was lost in the moment of just being close to her. Pressing his lips to the crown of her head, he finally asked, "Please don't make you what? What was I going to say?"

Yuuki's voice was muffled as she spoke into his shirt. "You were going to tell me to leave. I don't want to, please?"

"And I don't want you to, but I won't watch you suffer anymore, especially since I am the cause. I could keep you here because of the vows we spoke to each other when we children and most of all for my own selfish reasons…"

She pulled away enough so she could look up into his eyes, her fingers clutching his sleeves.

"-because I love you and want to be near you and, yes, I _want_ you, Yuuki," Kaname said in a fervent rush.

Yuuki felt her internal temperature rise a notch at this, shocked at his calm admission about his desires and the composed expression on his face, which was a stark contrast to his intense gaze.

He continued seeming to struggle with himself, "-so much. But you know that and that's the problem for you, isn't it? If you would feel more comfortable being away from me then you are free to go."

"Of course, my blood is always yours to take," he added in a calm voice, which said this fact wasn't in question.

Her legs felt weak and heavy and her heart slammed against her chest, making it difficult to breathe. "Onii-Kaname-sen-"

Clearing her throat with difficulty, Yuuki finally blurted, "_Kaname."_

His eyes widened in surprise at her drop in his honorifics and then a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Yes?"

She blew out a sigh, relieved that he was pleased at her use of only his given name and searched for words that make the last few weeks right, which would allow her to stay. _He is the only thing I've ever wanted._

_Even if he betrays me, I wouldn't care. All I see is him._ She felt calmness wash through her that was bone-deep as she made her decision. Her eyes shifted from his luminous eyes and then to his neck and the wound she had inflicted.

"Are you hungry again?" He asked as he caught her gaze and she heard weary amusement in his tone as well as a darker undercurrent of desire.

Instead of answering, Yuuki reached up and stroked the gashes her fangs had left behind. She felt him tremble momentarily underneath her fingertips as he leaned down and held his hair aside to allow her better access to his neck.

Kaname's well-known and beloved face shattered into prisms as her eyes welled up at his offering. "No, I don't…"

She felt him startle at her words and then abruptly still when she kissed her marks on his skin, carefully laving them with her tongue. He gasped softly when the tip dipped into one of the punctures.

Yuuki stopped her ministrations at the sound, and breathing rapidly, placed her hands on his shoulders and moved into the circle of his waiting arms. _I see only you_, she thought with all her will.

She closed her eyes and concentrated all her attention on her fiancé, listening the tidal rush of his blood beneath her lips, the murmur of his respiration and the heat radiating off his smooth skin.

Yuuki felt something like an electric charge leaving her lips and seeping into his flesh. She could feel a shocked breath escape his chest and his hold on her waist tightened to the point of almost being painful but she continued concentrating on their point of connection, the feeling of something powerful leaving her and being transferred into Kaname's body. She barely registered a dull pain flaring on her neck.

After a few moments when only the sounds of the two embracing vampire's breathing could be heard in the room (as well as the ticking of the clock), the edges of the wounds drew closer together and finally closed completely under her lips. Nuzzling the fragrant hollow of his neck, which tempted her to the point of distraction the past fortnight, she inhaled deeply and heard him groan softly in response.

She sighed and smiled suddenly against his skin molding herself closer to his frame, but the grin turned into a look of surprise blushed furiously when she felt his erection growing against her belly and felt an answering bloom of warmth in the pit of her stomach.

She moved away slowly, training her eyes on his neck, to reassure herself that she hadn't imagined Kaname's flesh healing beneath her mouth and also as a reason to keep her eyes away from his lower body.

Though she wasn't entirely surprised, she was still awed to see the injuries were gone and were replaced by perfect white flesh on the long graceful column of his throat.

"Yuuki?" Kaname asked in a voice deeper than his normal tone, his wide in wonder. Yuuki shook her head slightly, always touched that he never showed any disappointment when she drew away from him when he became aroused.

She raised her eyes with difficulty to her brother's, the color of ancient blood, which caught hers and scanned hers for long moments. His gaze flicked to her neck and then back to her eyes again. "Thank you."

With a small sigh, he broke the spell and asked, "How did you do that? I haven't taught you how to heal."

Yuuki swallowed and tentatively brushed the pads of her fingers across one his high cheekbones, thinking of how best to answer.

At her touch, he exhaled and closed his eyes in gratitude at her small caress, pressing his face into her small hand seeking more contact.

_It takes so little to make him happy and he wants me to touch him so much, _Yuuki wondered in silent awe at how she could affect him.

"Tell me," he breathed, his eyes opening to reveal his eyes again.

She hesitated trying to think of how to verbalize what she had done. "I thought that if I could take away your pain and suffer it myself, I would… and somehow I knew that I… could. Is that how you did it? When you healed my wound?" She asked, referring to the time he had taken away her pain at the Ichijou's birthday party.

"Yes, but you did it so thoroughly you have the marks to prove it." He covered her hand with his and moved hers to her neck where she could feel the indentations. The same spot on her as it had been for him.

Her mouth parted in surprise and in response a minute smile appeared on his face.

"Why did you do it?" He asked, lowering his hands to her shoulders.

"Because I wanted to show you…" Yuuki answered, not able to finish her thought. She considered even this act of contrition to him wouldn't be enough to erase the hurt she had caused him. Nothing she could do or say would allow him to trust her after using him so shamelessly and going back on her word before he had left to go to the Council.

'_It will be okay, Onii-sama._ _I will definitely return to your arms, Onii-sama…'_

_I'm too weak to keep my promises. All I do is hurt those I love, _she thought now, covering her face in remorse.

"What, Yuuki?" Kaname lightly squeezed the delicate points of her thin shoulders as he watched her.

She lowered her hands. "How I feel. I can't lose you again."

Yuuki's chest hitched, but her words tumbled out nonetheless. "Brother, fiancé, it doesn't matter. I'm… in love with you and I don't care who you are. Can you forgive me?"

She had said all this as she stared at the carpet, knowing if she looked at his face she would lose control and start stuttering to the point of incoherency and these words were important, maybe the most important.

Long moments passed, the clock kept droning its logical, dry universe, an oblivious witness to the inhabitants of the suite.

Yuuki waited, staring at her bare toes, and instead of hearing the clock she tried to listen to the towering, silent man before her.

He wasn't entirely still, however.

She could hear the rhythm of his heartbeat and the tidal flow of his respiration with her new heightened awareness across the short distance between them. The sounds told her nothing; they seemed completely unhurried.

Yuuki finally hazarded a glance from beneath her bangs, unable to take the prolonged quiet.

Kaname wasn't looking down at her with a cold expression that told her that she wouldn't be forgiven as she had feared (and secretly thought she deserved).

Instead, he was looking away from her. She could see his profile he stared at the clock with a ghost of a smile. It didn't touch his lips. It was only a crinkling around his eyes.

Her brows creased in mystification when his eyes closed and he started speaking in a low, musical cadence, "My heart, which is your heart, sings and weeps in silence for thee. With this body, I shall comfort and worship only thee for all my days."

Yuuki went stock-still, recognition in her large luminous eyes as he continued, looking down on her face. "With gladness, I humbly offer you my blood to be your wine."

In her minds-eye, she saw the face of the man before her become younger, his lean cheeks becoming fuller with boyish softness, the way he had looked when he had whispered the same words to her when they were children.

She spoke the final verse, her high voice blending harmoniously with Kaname's deeper tone. "Forsaking all others, I give my life, eternal, to thee, my beloved."

Kaname exhaled deeply and lowered his forehead to rest upon hers. "There is nothing to forgive."

Yuuki's respiration became low and even as her gaze was dragged into the dark pools of his eyes. "Onii-sama, Kaname," she murmured, "You, always you."

At the hopeful, almost fragile, smile that appeared on his face at her words, she tilted face upward and pressed her lips to his. She was forcibly reminded of how familiar the smooth texture of his lips was against her own from the kisses she had shared with him so long ago.

Back then, it had been because of hunger for his life force, a need for nourishment, but now as she pressed her mouth more firmly against the supple curve of his lips, she realized even then it had been more. Yuuki had almost never sought out her parents for sustenance unless Kaname was absent. She hadn't been hungry for food but for _him_.

Another revelation bloomed in her mind and it was so simple she didn't question the truth of it. Despite all of her doubts of the past fortnight towards her brother and the nature of their relationship, she had sought Kaname for her need to drink. It had been an excuse, really. The artificial blood would have sustained her, though tasteless and uninteresting, but she realized the simple truth was that she couldn't resist being near him.

With this realization in mind, what started as a chaste kiss, quickly became humid and sensual when Yuuki traced her tongue along the seam of Kaname's lips, moistening it. In response, Kaname released a breathy moan against her lips and slid his tongue past her fangs to massage hers in turn.

_So good, _she thought in a daze as her arms slipped around his narrow waist and she became aware that his hands had moved from her shoulders and were working restlessly in her hair as he probed each fragrant crevice of her mouth. He drew back a little encouraging her to do the same and was pleased when she did so tentatively at first and then with growing confidence.

Kaname placed his hands on her shoulders and moved away, panting lightly. He smiled inwardly at the look of disappointment evident on her down turned mouth, which he noted with pleasure was reddened and swollen from his eager ministrations.

Yuuki cast her eyes downward in confusion. "Did I do something wrong?"

He placed his hands on her temples and lifted her head firmly upwards as he lowered his to her eye level. "It was wonderful," he assured her in a whisper.

Flushing deeply, Yuuki asked in a timid voice, "Oh… then why-?"

Kaname laid a finger on her lips to quiet her and watched her speculatively for a moment. "I stopped because I wanted to ask if you would be willing to do something for me." He removed his finger and though she couldn't see any nervousness in his serene features, his posture seemed tense.

"I want to please you, Onii-sama." Yuuki blushed deeper, if that was possible and added shyly, "Tell me how I can start."

"The sun is rising," he stated. Yuuki held her breath at the red flicker of desire that shone in his eyes. "Will you share your bed with me?"

Yuuki's met his gaze as calmly as she could at his calm request but she felt her head spinning lightly. She felt sweat pop out on her on her face as she considered the full meaning of his request. She decided to avoid giving him her answer for the moment to calm herself. "But it's your bed…"

"I had considered it 'ours', but you know quite well it has been 'yours' since you have come here," he interjected smoothly.

Yuuki flinched despite the complete lack of accusation in his tone. He was right. She had had scurried off to the master bedroom and the magnificent bed it contained before sunrise each day since she had moved in. She had never told him not to enter, but of course she hadn't needed to given her distant behavior towards him. He had slept on the graceful Victorian couch and she had felt another twinge of guilt at ousting him from his luxurious bed, though he hadn't shown any signs of discomfort at the sleeping arrangement.

Yuuki now focused on the gentle expression on his, face knowing he probably was guessing most of what was going on in her mind and felt a strange calmness fill her as she realized that she was stalling needlessly. _I will do anything for you._

Out loud, she answered him in a voice that vibrated only slightly from emotion. "Yes, Onii-sama."

Kaname plucked her hand from her waist and brought it to his face, rubbing it against his cheek before he kissed the center of her palm. "You've made me so happy," he murmured, his lips brushing against her skin.

"I want to make you happy," Yuuki echoed, transfixed by his eyes over her hand, seeking hers, looking for hesitation.

Seeing none, he dropped her hand and lifted her slight frame up with ease, his arms supporting her shoulders and knees. Yuuki realized dimly that this was the way a bride was carried to her bedroom for the first time, and though she felt some nervousness at losing her virginity, the same peace pervaded her being.

A sense of wonder filled her as this is the last way she would have expected this evening to end, given her confusion and misery a few hours ago. She laid her head on Kaname's broad shoulder and pushed the door open with the toe of his shoe.

Kaname lowered her on to the bed gently and brushed his lips across her forehead before walking off to an imposing wardrobe and pulling open one of the drawers.

Yuuki watched him curiously as he pulled out something dark and laid it at the foot of the bed. Her cheeks burned again as she saw him undoing his shirt with his back to her, the sleek muscles of his back revealed to her as he pushed it off his shoulders, despite the dimness of the room.

Her breath speeded up at the sight of his perfectly sculpted form, but he seemed unaware as he folded the shirt neatly and placed it on the wardrobe. Her admiration of his body turned to tension when he began unbuckling his belt with a muted _chink._

She shifted restlessly on the top of the coverlet and wondered whether she should turn away.

Hearing her, he turned his head over his shoulder and gave her brief rueful smile before making his way to the bathroom with his garment. Yuuki sighed in relief although she realized it was silly of her to be so prim when she was going to see all of him very soon, but she had to smile at his consideration of her nervousness.

Kaname returned from the bathroom with only a pair of sooty silk pajama bottoms, which she noticed with a suddenly dry mouth, moved fluidly over his angular hips as he walked towards the bed.

He sat down on the bed and gazed at her silently. Yuuki did her best to keep her eyes on his face instead of staring at his naked midsection and the contrast his pale skin made against the dark silk, making it almost glow.

She fidgeted and wondered if his perusal was his way of asking her to do something and she suddenly felt insecure about her lack of experience.

After a mental debate, she raised her upper body off the bed and extended an arm above her head to begin ridding herself of her nightgown but she was stopped when Kaname's hands caught both of her wrists.

Placing them at her midsection, he released them, and hugged her tightly. "Yuuki, I said 'share your bed', not 'make love to you'."

"But… I thought that's what you wanted, brother," Yuuki asked in a wavering voice.

Kaname didn't miss her emphasis on the last word and though he was pleased at her acceptance of him as both a brother and lover, he shook his head. "You have come so far tonight. You don't have to come all the way."

He smiled as her arms circled his waist and buried his face in her hair. "It would be good to lie down beside you. I've missed it."

Yuuki nodded, tears filling her eyes for what seemed like the thousandth time during the course of the evening. "Me, too," she agreed, recalling how many times she had climbed into Kaname's bed as a girl and fell asleep in his arms. She realized she was weary physically and had been soul-sick for too long for it to be the right time to give herself completely to Kaname, despite losing her doubts. She felt a wave of love for him because he had understood that.

Kaname kissed the top of her head and moved from her, stretching out on his side on the enormous bed, a small smile on his face as he patted the covers in invitation. Yuuki returned his smile and realized that seeing it was a rare but heart-stopping site and maybe now she would see it more. She took the position opposite him so she could lay her head against his chest, but Kaname leaned forward and whispered, "Why don't you turn around?"

Yuuki hesitated, and then complied, turning her back on him as she laid her head down into the goose-down pillow.

She felt Kaname move closer, snaking his arm beneath her pillow and bringing his long body into full contact with her much smaller one. She felt a brief rise in temperature as she registered his other arm coming to rest on her belly and his hard thighs cradling her bottom, but she relaxed when she felt him breathe into her ear, "Go to sleep, Yuuki."

"Goodnight, Onii-sama," she muttered, her voice already furry with sleep. Yuuki placed her hand over his and fell almost immediately into the first deep slumber she had in weeks.

Kaname fought his own exhaustion for a while longer. He inhaled the clean scent of Yuuki's hair and reveled at how right she felt in his arms, but eventually his eyes closed of their own accord.

"Beloved," he sighed before sleep claimed him entirely.


	6. Greed

**Far from Cross Academy**

_How could I have been so mistaken? _the aged vampire asked himself for what seemed like the hundredth time during the past fortnight as he watched the disturbing scene before him.

At first, the question had presented itself insidiously, a soft whisper which could easily be ignored, sensible doubt that could be brushed aside due of his wary and calculating nature. Certainly, caution had served him well over the centuries, gaining him power over the world of vampires and humans alike.

Feigning interest in a painting hanging on the wall gave him an excuse to look away from the two persons on the opposite side of the room.

Unfortunately, simply turning his gaze elsewhere didn't drown out the moans and choked gurgling that reached his hypersensitive ears.

He clenched his fist and called upon his vast will to keep his face neutral, and as he stared at the landscape with a blank gaze, he mused that the question had occurred with more frequency as days went on, louder and more strident as the answer eluded him.

But he realized what really bothered him about the lifeless watercolor was that he couldn't remember buying it. _Growing old… it's upsetting, isn't it?… because…_

The thought remained unfinished as he was brought reluctantly back to the present by the meaty _thud_ of a limp, lifeless body crumpling to the floor of his sumptuous office, one of a multitude of his corporations. It was underground of course, and in this particular institution he was a silent partner, so it was relatively safe enough from detection by his enemies for now.

His bright blue eyes, still unfaded over the long centuries, took in the sight of the remains of the prey, avidly watching as dark streams of blood seeped slowly from the neck and corner of the mouth of this latest victim; only to be absorbed by the slate-colored carpet, darkening it to black.

_That's never going to come out_, Asato Ichijou, more commonly known as Ichiou, observed with false detachment. He pressed the already thin and ungenerous line of his lips more tightly together to stifle hysterical laughter that was bubbling up in his throat at the thought, which masked his mounting panic.

The death of the human didn't bother him. They served many purposes in their limited fashion, to be manipulated in politics and business, certainly, but more fundamental, was their function as prey for vampires. They were only food after all, despite the foolish notions of some.

True, one more dead girl meant nothing. It was what she signified in the long string of victims which were disposed of like clockwork every evening in this place that kept him awake during the hated daylight hours and caused the detested question to repeat itself.

Yes, what the body cooling on his floor reiterated was simple and terrifying to the controlling nature of Ichiou—the loss of control of this situation.

Now, Ichiou's face turned inexorably towards the other occupant of the room as if two large and powerful hands were moving it for him. He had applauded himself for his self-control. He had kept his gaze the tall specter of a man while he drained the hapless young girl, a show of his strength, but with the vampire's murky gaze upon him, he had no choice.

The magnetism and glamour the Purebloods possessed made them impossible ignore.

"It's upsetting, isn't it?" Rido Kuran now inquired in a low pleasant baritone, a rivulet of blood seeping down his chin towards his neck.

Ichiou froze, feeling terribly exposed as Rido's casually spoken words mirrored his own thoughts from moments before. Surely, though Purebloods commanded many awful powers, they couldn't read minds, could they?

But the head of the Ichijou family hadn't gotten to his position by panicking under pressure and he didn't do so now. He collected himself by running a hand through his hair and scoffed, "Upset by your feeding? Why would I be, Rido-sama?"

Rido watched him closely for a few moments and then gazed atthe dead girl on the floor. "Poor child. Too bad… taken so early. For her, no husband, no children and no stinking decay of old age… no peaceful death surrounded by her family, an ordinary life filled with ordinary pain and pleasures," Rido mused, sinking gracefully to his haunches and carefully tucking a lock of the teenager's dark hair behind her ear, which had fallen into her sightless eye.

As Ichijou watched Rido, there was no reason he could put his finger on as to why the Pureblood couldn't be considered devastatingly handsome as he crouched over the body of his recent meal. Gone were the tattered clothes he had been buried in, only to be replaced by a fine ebony suit, carefully tailored for his imposing dimensions. His dark, lustrous hair gleamed with health in the dim lights, his facial features were noble and aquiline, and his smooth, well-formed lips hinted at a sensual nature.

In fact, Ichijou admitted, he looked a great deal like Kaname… no wonder, since he was so closely related to his former ward.

Beyond Rido's physical attributes, he also possessed the delicious floral fragrance that all Purebloods emitted, but with him it was somehow off. It was a small whiff of corruption underneath that was hard to define. To Ichiou, the best analogy he could come up with was the smell of flesh that had just begun to putrefy in a dark place. _Does madness have an odor? _Ichiou wondered idly.

He dismissed the idea as the workings of his overwrought mind, but admitted whatever it was; Rido was utterly loathsome in his beauty.

Meanwhile, the object of Ichiou's ponderings was now stroking the cheek of the corpse with his long-fingered hand. He skimmed his fingertips down her jaw and moved downward, finally settling them on her breast. He squeezed lightly, an oddly gentle expression at odds on his lean face.

Seeing Ichiou's look of distaste, Rido's lips peeled back from his fangs in a wide smile as he stood up and seated himself in behind the shining mahogany desk at the center of the room. He crossed his legs in an elegant manner that reminded Ichiou forcefully of Kaname again.

Lacing his fingers behind his head, Rido reclined back, staring pointedly at Ichiou's graying blond hair and commented, "But at least she died pretty."

…_loss of control, _the same tiny voice from earlier supplied in Ichiou's thoughts_. _Ichiou clamped down on the voice, and did his best to ignore the symbolic usurping of his command by Rido taking his seat.

The voice wouldn't be stopped so easily though, and as Ichiou watched Rido now toying with the antique dagger on his desk, it continued with more authority, _Do you honestly believe you're still in power here? Your less disciplined followers are completely under his thrall now. He pretended to do your will, the Council's will, as long as it served his purposes. He went to that school because he WANTED to and when he returned two weeks ago without achieving his goal (if a creature as mad as him can be said to have goals) he stopped pretending to be your faithful dog. Here's the real question: Did you think that something that is as close to being a god as there is would submit to being controlled?_

_He will never give you-_

The voice was silenced abruptly when the tantalizing smell of coppery sweetness filled the room making Ichiou's mouth fill with saliva and his gut cramp in desire. The dagger had slipped in Rido's hands, slicing his palm. Blood welled up in the gash and Ichiou's eyes dilated with want as he stared.

Appearing not to notice his companion's distress, Rido lamented to himself as he dropped the knife to the surface of the desk with a clatter. "I'm so clumsy."

Rido's gaze turned to Ichiou's as he bent his head to his hand and delicately started licking his own blood with long swipes of his sinuous tongue, his eyes hazing over with pleasure.

Ichiou felt sweat popping out on his temple and swallowed a plaintive whine that was building up in his throat. _I'm not a fucking dog salivating at a steak dangling from its owner's hand… I'm not. _

A filthy smirk twisted Rido's lips as he paused from cleaning his wound. "How selfish of me. Would you like a taste, my friend?"

Ichiou knew it was a game, more importantly, he knew Rido's cruel nature.

But he found himself moving forward anyway with numb legs towards that which he had desired most in his long, but unfortunately limited existence. His death was inevitable, and this fact had enraged and terrified more and more as his age made itself apparent.

He stopped a few feet away, watching Rido narrowly, as one might watch a predator.

Rido's mouth quirked up in a half-grin and squeezed his hand into a tight fist, which served to hide the wound.

At this, Ichiou sighed inwardly and flushed a dull red at his humiliation and his lack of control of himself.

Rido raised himself from the chair and looked down at Ichiou with an expression of contempt. "Tell me, Ichiou, did my dear nephew ever grace you with his blood?"

Ichiou flushed darker and resisted imperative in his mind to answer the Pureblood, he had still a little pride left.

Rido seemed unconcerned by his disobedience, however, and answered for him. "Of course Kaname didn't, because you, Ichiou, are unworthy of it."

Rido rolled his fist tighter, making his knuckles appear that they were going to break through the skin. A few droplets of blood escaped from his palm, presumably because his fingernails had driven into the wound. He kept them from dropping on the ground by rotating his fist.

Using his free hand, he ran his index finger down Ichiou's sweat soaked face. He examined the wet pad of his finger with a mixture of amusement and disgust.

"It must have been difficult having him live in your home all those years. All of that finest Kuran blood so close…" Rido intoned, his eyes glowing with malice and hilarity.

Ichiou's jaw clenched and the desperate haunted look left his face as his will reasserted itself. "If you're not going to give it to me, why don't you go off and find yourself another snack?" He asked before he forced a fake look of concern, "Though I wonder if that hole of yours will ever be filled," he finished calmly, even though his blue eyes blazed with anger.

All the humor left Rido's face and he became very still, "Hole? What are you speaking of?"

"The one left by her, of course," Ichiou paused for effect and finally said softly, "Juuri."

"How dare you," Rido hissed through his fangs.

Ichiou watched rage twist Rido's handsome visage into something dark and monstrous. His normally pale face blanched further to a burning white, which accentuated the furious glow of his eyes, one blue and one scarlet. _Now his true nature shows _itself, Ichiou thought, _he looks like something from the pit of hell_. He found himself caught in fascination again, a rodent caught in the hypnotizing stare of the python.

The ancient vampire also wondered if these would be his last moments on earth, as the towering monster's hot breath bathed his face. He realized he wasn't as frightened of the prospect of death as he thought he would be, and that was a profound relief.

But to his surprise, the murderous glare on Rido's features became one of profound confusion. His eyes dimmed and he murmured, "Juuri?"

He clutched his wounded fist tighter and a few drops of his blood squeezed out and landed on the carpet. "I…"

Unconsciously licking his lips, Ichiou's gaze fixed on them.

"I will have her," Rido spoke finally, a disconcertingly peaceful smile brightening his face.

"She is dead, Rido," Ichiou stated in a colorless voice, more frightened then when he thought the eldest Kuran was going to rip his throat out.

"Is she?" Rido questioned in a polite tone. He adjusted his scarlet cravat and made his way to the door. "I think I _will_ find something to eat. You're right. I am feeling hungry again."

"You shouldn't leave, you could be seen," Ichiou warned, once again staring at Rido's blood on the floor.

Rido waved his hand dismissively. "Am I going to run into Kaname," Rido chuckled to himself, "or his pet vampire hunter?"

Ichiou decided he didn't care enough to argue with Rido as he continued considering the carpet. _If someone is capable of killing him, let them._

Rido paused with his hand on the knob and turned his head over his shoulder. "I would get to that gift before it dries if I were you, _friend_. No need to thank me."

"After all, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you, would I? And what fun would that be?" With a wide fangy smile, the Pureblood swept out the door.

Ichiou controlled a shudder with difficulty.

_How could I have been so mistaken?_ Ichiou thought as he sleepwalked towards the blood spots on the carpet. The answer to the detested question finally presented itself, it's simplicity giving it the undeniable ring of absolute truth.

_I was arrogant. I thought I was in control. Pride goes before the fall or some such nonsense, right? Humans occasionally get it right, _he mused bitterly as he lowered himself to his knees and began sucking on the carpet to get the few precious drops of blood Rido had left behind.

Subdued chants of 'Rido-sama' reached the eldest Kuran as he strode through the halls on his way to a discreet exit from the tall building. He paid little attention to the lower-level vampires who lowered their eyes in deference at his passing, a strange thoughtful expression on his face.

Rido granted that Ichiou was perceptive enough in his own limited way. He _was_ ravenous. No one would ever understand the eternal and constant hunger he experienced. And while the idea of hunting was tempting--he tired of having food brought to him like he was a tame, dull-witted animal in a zoo-- he had other ideas how to spend the evening.

At the doorway, with its bright green 'EXIT' sign above, Rido closed his eyes tightly and focused on a face. He muttered a name under his breath, and his body gradually became transparent until only his disembodied teeth remained, a white, grinning crescent.

After a few moments that, too, disappeared.

He materialized in a dark cavernous place, but even a human with weak vision wouldn't have trouble spotting the bright hair of the figure standing with his back to him.

"Good evening, Kiryuu," Rido murmured and peered about the abandoned warehouse, "Were you looking for me? I'm touched."

Zero turned and drew The Bloody Rose. "Rido." He aimed the pistol at Rido's forehead, his violet eyes narrowed into slits.

Rido grinned. "Really, Zero, you couldn't kill me before and you aren't going to kill me now."

"That's where you're wrong," Zero countered, releasing the safety, "I'm sick of you vampires thinking you can control me. I'm sick of the games and I'm sick of the lies."

Rido brought his hand up to his mouth to stifle a snort and then smoothed his face into more serious lines. He watched the angry teenager in front of him and waited.

"Lies, Kiryuu?" Rido questioned after a time, "We have no use for lies, the two of us. Lies are for friends and lovers. Enemies speak the truth to each other."

Rido took a step closer to Zero, making himself an even easier target. He continued in an untroubled tone, "You recognize that I speak it and that is why you couldn't slay me before, Hunter."

Zero remained silent and unmoving, while Rido closed the remaining distance between them. Now there were mere inches between the two figures.

Rido sighed and lowered himself so that the point of the barrel now was in direct contact with his head. After a few seconds, he smiled at Zero, "Why don't you put it away?"

Zero glared at the loathsome creature in front of him and his finger squeezed the trigger slightly, but he finally removed his finger. He didn't lower his gun, however.

Taking a step away from the grinning apparition in front of him, he stated coldly, "Speak, monster."

Rido straightened and gazed at Zero with something like affection on his face. "I really like you, Zero …all your rough edges and hate, which you never bother to hide. It's so refreshing. Hate is such a noble emotion, don't you think?"

"Are you going to stop wasting my time or should I change my mind about killing you?" Zero gritted out, placing his finger upon the trigger again.

Rido shook his head sadly, dismissing Zero's threat. "But you really don't know how to enjoy yourself do you? It's so sad when your time is limited, _vampire."_

Zero turned his gaze back to Rido and shot him a look of deepest disgust. "And whose fault is that? If it hadn't been for you…"

Rido spoke as Zero lost his words. "Ah, yes, my lesson to Shizuka on disobedience. Unfortunately, she decided to first revenge herself upon you and your family instead of the true murderer of her beloved." Rido paused, his eyes hazed over with memory.

Finally, he continued, either not noticing or pretending not to notice the dangerous glare in Zero's pale eyes. "Very well, Kiryuu, as I said to you when you had me in your sights before: You despise me, yes."

Rido's eyes glinted with malice."But there is someone you hate even more, isn't there?"

After a calculated pause, he answered his own question, "Kaname."

He gave Zero a look of mock sympathy. "He has used you and that is really a shame, but that's not the real reason you hate him. He has the one thing you desire. No matter what you do, no words will ever be enough, no gesture worthy of gaining her attention. _She_ will never look at you because he exists. You will always be beneath her."

A slight tremor unsteadied Rido's deep voice as he uttered this last, which caught Zero's attention. Rido closed his eyes and tilted his head as if listening to voice only he could hear, while Zero studied him carefully, recognition lighting his eyes.

"And it is a good thing she rejects you because…" Rido's hand shook as he struggled. "…because you would devour her if given a chance… because you love her so."

Rido shook his head as if to clear it and opened his eyes. He detected a suspicious brightness in his opponent's miserable stare and controlled a smirk. Nodding to himself, he pushed on in a business-like tone, "You see? I understand you better than you think, and like you, I, too, wish to see my insufferable… _nephew_ dead. In this, we can help each other."

Zero's gaze was suspicious, but a tight grin appeared on his face at the suggestion.

"But not too quickly. Wouldn't it be fine to make one so arrogant suffer? And what's the best way to do that? Through the one he loves, of course," Rido mused, trying to keep from giggling at the eagerness on the boy's face.

"I can help you achieve your desires," Rido said gently, watching the play of emotions Zero's visage with delight: suspicion, self-loathing, despair and finally something like hope.

During the long pause, when the only sound that could be heard was something fluttering in the rafters, a bird or a bat, perhaps, Zero stared intently at Rido.

After long breathless moments, Zero nodded brusquely in acceptance and reholstered his gun.

Rido inclined his head in response, though not out of respect, but instead to hide his victorious grin. _Lying is so easy, but doing it to those who are hampered by an over abundance of honesty, it's downright child's-play._

**Cross Academy**

Dusk had fallen, and with the final weak, orange rays of the sun, Yuuki's eyes shifted beneath her lids and then fluttered open.

Her first feeling was that of safety and contentment as she felt the warm weight of Kaname's arm resting on her waist and listened to his slow, steady breathing from behind her. Following this first drowsy awareness, she registered a sensation of excitement as she considered that this would be the first day that they would truly be together.

She placed her hand over Kaname's, thinking that she couldn't wait for the day (or night, in this case) to begin, so all the time apart and the pain it had caused them both could be erased, not only the past weeks, but the years of separation before that.

Yuuki shifted, torn between the wish to let Kaname rest and awaken naturally, and the equally strong desire to stir him and see his expressive eyes, to have him look at her with tenderness and desire. She found herself greedy for how that look could make her feel.

Impatience won out, and with her decision, she lifted his hand and pulled it towards her face. She placed his fingertips on her lips and paused, listening to any change in his even respiration. When she heard none, she flushed slightly as she planted a kiss on his palm, marveling at the simple sensation of its faint heat and smoothness.

Still nothing.

Yuuki frowned slightly and turned over, carefully extricating herself from Kaname's unconscious embrace to face him. What she saw bothered her. Underneath his lids, his eyes were moving erratically, and as she watched him, a low vicious moan came from behind his lips.

Yuuki watched in mounting alarm when his face turned into the pillow his head was resting on and his mouth opened, revealing his teeth. She drew in a sharp breath when his fangs sunk into the down filling and began shredding it.

"Onii-sama!" she cried as she gripped his shoulders and began shaking him. "Wake-up!"

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, folks. Life... well, I won't bore you with the excuses as to why writing has been difficult. I'm always thinking about this story even if I'm not actually writing it, though.**

**I really enjoyed writing Rido. I don't know if you can tell, but I think I have a tiny crush on him. *blushes* At any rate, I am really curious to see what you thought of him, so pretty please let me know what you think of him. :**

**I hadn't intended to have Kaname and Yuuki in this chapter at all, in fact. But somehow that just seemed wrong and I missed them too much let them go til next chapter. ;)**

**I have to give my deepest thanks to O-Mega Lead for betaing this chapter. Arigato! It's so great to have a beta. :)**

**Another special thank you to Maddy. Thank you for your wonderful pokes to continue. *hugs***

**And of course, the biggest thanks to those who review. Favoriting my story is really appreciated, but reviews truly make my day. *bows***

**Until next time, cheers!**


	7. Confirmation

**Yuuki watched in mounting alarm when his face turned into the pillow his head was resting on and his mouth opened, revealing his teeth. She drew in a sharp breath when his fangs sunk into the down filling and began shredding it.**

**"Onii-sama!" she cried as she gripped his shoulders and began shaking him. "Wake-up!"**

* * *

Shaking him wasn't working. Instead of waking up from whatever nightmare he was suffering from, his fingers turned to claws and sank into the softness of the pillow and he clamped down harder with his fangs, his low moan now turning into a loud snarl.

Yuuki pushed aside the surprise she felt at this unimagined animalistic side of Kaname and acted quickly. Her muscles bunched with the effort, but she managed to yank the pillow from his mouth, ripping it in the process because his jaw was firmly locked upon it.

The young vampire took no notice since her attention was completely focused on the look of agony on Kaname's sleeping face. Without the pillow in his mouth, his jaws now snapped on nothingness, and in the process, his fangs punctured his bottom lip. Despite her fearfulness at his behavior, the desire to help him was more powerful and gave her courage to act. She applied pressure to his shoulders and pushed him on his back from his current position on his side. It took all of her strength given his state and his weight, but she finally managed it.

Lowering herself on top of him, she noted his body was vibrating like a live wire and his chest was shining with perspiration. It hurt her to see him like this when he was always so cool and in control of himself. Pity squeezed her heart painfully as she saw a small white feather clinging to the corner of his mouth, adding another surreal quality to the moment.

She leaned forward and grabbed Kaname's wrists which were tearing at the sheets and forced them over his head, pinning them with difficulty. "Onii-sama, I am here," she murmured into his ear, straining to keep his wrists in place, "Yuuki's here and you are safe, so, please wake up." She wasn't aware that she had reverted to referring to herself in the third person as she did when she was a child because her words had apparently had an effect the unconscious Kaname. She felt his body relax beneath her and she allowed herself to breathe deeply in relief.

Pulling back a little, she saw Kaname's fine features were once again smooth and as she allowed herself to take them in, transfixed for a moment on his thick eyelashes fanned out on his cheeks and his full lips. He didn't seem to be awake, but he certainly wasn't in the grips of whatever nightmare he had been suffering through. Certainly he would come to soon, with her weight on top of him. This thought calmed her impatience to find out what had happened to him and her lingering anxiety about him. Would he be okay when he awoke? What had he been dreaming about that had made him act like a feral creature?

Despite her worries about what she should do upon his awakening, she felt a surge of pride that she had helped him instead of it being the usual case of him soothing her. _He doesn't always have to be strong. I will comfort him, too. Maybe I can be a worthy mate for him._ She paused at the choice of the word 'mate,' since it had reminded her of something Kaname had said to her not long ago… something about beasts.

A terrible question followed naturally from this. His violent sleeping interlude… what if Kaname was so deprived of blood that his instinct had made him seek nourishment while he was unconscious, since he refused to do so while awake? The blood tablets he downed constantly were not enough since he had lost so much blood to her constant feeding.

For an excuse to touch his lip's inviting curves, she plucked off the offending feather at the corner, but not before running her finger along his bottom lip where beads of blood had welled up from his biting. Her attention narrowed to a sharp point, her body instantly begging for her to lick this tempting drop of his precious blood from his lips.

Her body's imperative drove her to move closer. The rational side of her told her that this would rouse him up finally and that he would enjoy waking up this way as much as she would enjoy doing it. Yuuki unconsciously moistened her lips as she drew near, her mouth filling with saliva in anticipation. She decided after taking this tiny bit of his blood she would offer hers to him. '_Drink until you are satisfied, Onii-sama, all you desire,_'she affirmed silently. A yearning warmth bloomed in her abdomen as an image of him reversing their current position so that his body was pressed down upon hers as he kissed and licked the skin of her neck before his fangs penetrated deeply into her jugular.

Yuuki hovered a fraction of an inch away from his lips, his slow respiration bathing her face as she inhaled the copper-iron scent of his blood, but as she extended her tongue towards his mouth, something strange began to happen. She startled and sat straighter as a spate of clicking and high-pitched squeaks filled the room. She flinched as she felt something move her hair as it whizzed by. Trying to look everywhere at once, she finally pinpointed a small black something fluttering near the bedpost. Its tiny ruby eyes glittered as its wings beat the air, and its small face seemed to be regarding her with some rudimentary awareness before its tiny countenance turned towards Kaname's sleeping form.

_A bat? What the-? _Before she could finish her thought, the animal darted towards Kaname's face. Yuuki moved to slap it away, but instead of her hand connecting with a small furry body, it landed on nothing. Well, not exactly nothing. She felt like she had plunged her hands into a pocket of cold fog and as she tried to recover from this surprise she watched helplessly in horror as the bat became transparent, melting into Kaname's features.

Yuuki called Kaname's name into his ear, and finally he stirred, his reddish-brown eyes fixating on Yuuki without a trace of drowsiness. "Yuuki, what's wrong?" He briefly scanned the room for danger, frowning as his eyes caught sight as he stared at the pillow which bore the clear semi-circle of his teeth upon it, before homing in on Yuuki's face again, a muscle twitching in his jaw. "Tell me what happened," he questioned in an oddly flat voice. He broke eye contact as his eyes roamed over her body above him in a strangely dispassionate manner.

The youngest Kuran stared down at her older brother with her mouth hanging agape. "Kaname…" She watched him warily, replaying the incidents of the past few minutes and his current stiff demeanor. _Why is he acting so strange? Did that bat-thing affect him… is he upset with me… no, he's-_

While he waited on her answer, he licked the blood off his lip and he closed his eyes, but not before Yuuki detected the pain in them and perhaps the light of remembrance. "Did I-?"

Yuuki lifted his hand from the coverlet and brought it to her face, guessing why he was looking at her so clinically earlier and where he was directing his anger. A small smile tugged at her lips, "You didn't hurt me, Onii-sama."

Kaname opened his eyes, watching her for a long moment before he nodded, relief evident in his glance. He raised his other hand to carefully move a lock of her hair out of her wide eyes. "Tell me," he asked again simply, his eyes moving to fang-marked the pillow for emphasis.

Yuuki lowered his hand to her lap, but didn't release it. When she was silent for more than a minute according to Kaname's clock, he squeezed it to encourage her. She took a deep breath and began. "I woke up…"

Yuuki began narrating what happened, beginning with her kissing his hand to awaken him and ending with phantom bat. She occasionally stammered and blushed as she edited certain parts, especially the part where she planned on surrendering her blood to him. However, she did include her desire to lick the blood drop off his lips. A satisfied grin appeared on his face at this, but he remained silent throughout her stumbling account. As she spoke, her bewilderment and fear for him, and of him, were apparent in her shaking hands as she told him about her helplessness to ward off the strange creature that entered his body.

Kaname ran his hand through his thick hair, seeming deep in thought, and then brought it upwards to briefly massage the junction between her neck and shoulder.

Yuuki smiled weakly at him comforting her though he had been had gone through the ordeal.

"I can remember some of it, but not all." Kaname's brow furrowed as he seemed to consider before he proceeded. "I have the ability to send my consciousness in the form of a bat; it's something like a familiar. It emerges from my blood and it acts as sometimes as a messenger, and occasionally as a spy. When this happens, part of me becomes the creature and I am more like the animal with its simple thoughts and instincts. In a sense, we are no longer single beings, but are one. I can see what it sees and the reverse is true. When I do it consciously, it's fairly easier to control, but there are times when it happens, when I'm sleeping for instance, I am less myself and am more the creature, at the mercy to its shifting passions. So, simple emotions like happiness, fear and anger are shared between myself and the creature. "

"So… you attacked the pillow because the bat was angry?" Yuuki asked after a beat. She felt relatively calm after reminding herself that she had witnessed the powers of the Night Class on many occasions and had even demonstrated a few of her own. It would only make sense that Kaname's powers would be more potent and also more bizarre.

"Yes," Kaname confirmed, a relieved look on his face that she somehow understood.

"Why was it, or you, angry?" Yuuki asked after another pause.

"Because it witnessed something," he answered slowly.

"What was it?"

Kaname's expression became closed and she detected anger in the downward curve of his lips.

_How can I tell you, Yuuki, that Rido is very much alive, as I suspected, and he's found an ideal accomplice in Kiryuu, _Kaname thought, swallowing his rage and hoping his face betrayed nothing to Yuuki so she wouldn't ask more questions.

However, Yuuki wasn't going to be put off, especially upon seeing a flash of scarlet gleam in his eyes. "Kaname, what-"

Kaname's gaze flicked towards the bedroom door. He heaved a sigh and Yuuki was certain it was one of relief. "Aidou is approaching… Shiki is with him," he said.

* * *

**A/N- Greetings to all after my long hiatus. It's good to be back. :D I apologize to those who have been waiting for an update. Why so long, you might ask?**

**To be totally honest, I've been rather uninspired. VK has lost a lot of its appeal to me. Instead, of feeling happiness and pondering plot ideas when I've just read a chapter, I instead feel drained and extremely depressed. Maybe it will get better. *hopeful face***

**But oddly, my disappointment with the manga has motivated me to write recently because, hey, fan fiction is where we can make it right, damn it! :)**

**Thanks:**

**To Maddy, my most persistent and adored stalker, for encouraging me to continue.**

**To O-Mega Lead, for his supernatural betaing skills and being just generally awesome.**

**To Nilie, for daydreaming with me about Kaname and other crushes.**

**The biggest thanks goes to those who take the time to review. :D You'll never know how much the time and effort you take to write one means to an author. They definitely are huge motivation to update, so if the reception is good for this chapter, I'll make an effort to get the next installment up quickly**--**instead of moving at my usual snail's pace. ;)**


	8. Through a Glass Darkly

Yuuki inwardly grumbled, but turned her head to listen, hearing nothing. The door to the bedroom as well as the door to the suite itself separated them from the hall so she was baffled as to how he could hear and discern who was approaching. She granted her sense of hearing was heightened since she had become a vampire, but that kind of perception was beyond her.

"How can you tell-?" She began, but a respectful rap at the door stopped her.

"Kaname-sama?" Aidou's clear voice was only slightly muffled by the two doors it traveled through. "Sorry to disturb you. May we speak with you?"

"Yes, come in," Kaname answered.

Yuuki shifted restlessly, now all too aware that she was straddling Kaname's waist, which was completely bare.

She made to extricate herself but before she could, a devilish glint appeared in Kaname's eyes as he placed his hands on her hips to keep her in place. "It will make him get to the point quicker," he said with a chuckle.

"But, Onii-sama!" Yuuki managed, her voice raised in panic. She could now hear Aidou and Shiki beyond the bedroom door. At this distance, she could hear the rustling of their clothes as they moved around the parlor.

"Eh, Kaname-sama…?" Aidou asked nervously for permission to enter Kaname's bedroom, after clearing his throat.

"Yes, it's alright," Kaname replied, letting go of Yuuki, who was blushing and struggling against his hold. As soon as she felt Kaname's hands lifted, she scooted to a neutral part of the bed and tried to compose herself by running a hand through her decidedly messy hair, shooting Kaname reproachful glances all the while. Kaname's grin deepened, if anything, as he as he arose from the bed and put on an elegant black silk robe hanging on the back of the door that led to the bathroom.

Yuuki felt a pang of regret as she watched him tying a loose knot at his waist, covering all that breathtaking pale flesh and lithe muscle.

Meanwhile, Aidou and Shiki came through the door in their white school uniforms. Aidou immediately flushed ochre when he not only saw that the two Purebloods he served were still various states of undress, but also noticed a distressed-looking pillow that looked like it had become someone's snack at some point.

At his side, Shiki looked to be in his normal state of absolute and utter boredom as he stared vaguely in Kaname and Yuuki's direction.

Moments passed as Aidou shuffled his feet his feet and sputtered nonsensically under Kaname's steady stare.

Finally, Shiki rolled his striking, sky-blue eyes and elbowed Aidou sharply in the ribs, muttering under his breath, "Stop looking like a child who's caught their parents in the act and tell them why we're here, idiot."

Yuuki gnawed her cheek to keep from erupting into uneasy laughter. To distract herself, she plucked a piece of lint off the comforter and appeared to examine it. Kaname sent her a look of pure adoration, which Yuuki returned as best as she could, dropping the lint dreamily from her fingers as she became enrapt by the sight of one of his flat nipples, somehow more tantalizing because it was only partially visible from the opening of his robe.

Unaware of the silent communication, Aidou massaged his ribs and shot Shiki a filthy look, but seemed like he was in more control of himself. "Kaname-sama, the Chairman has asked to see you when you're free."

Kaname returned his attention back to Aidou, his look of delight fading though he seemed unsurprised. He rubbed his forehead meditatively and asked, "Did he say why?"

"He wanted to discuss the future of the Cross Academy," Aidou answered, watching Kaname's expression carefully.

Kaname once again nodded absently and the blond vampire sighed in exasperation at not being able to discern Kaname's reaction—it was a common occurrence for the inquisitive vampire. The school had been in state of limbo since the battle with the Hunters and the Council. The holidays had put off the necessity to make any decisions on whether the school would reopen to humans, and in the interim, most of the Night Class had been making the motions of going to lectures given by their vampire teachers. Aidou recalled asking Kaname what they were supposed to do since he returned and he had dryly replied that since they were residing at a school the most logical activity was to go to class. He had been chagrined, wondering if Kaname didn't care what his followers did or was making one of his rare jokes, but whatever the intention Aidou and everyone else kept up the façade of a normal school.

"Very well," Kaname stated mildly. His eyes rested on the slighter vampire, who now looked tense. "What is it, Shiki?"

"Yes, Kaname-sama, I have a request and I wanted…"

As Shiki gathered himself, Aidou shot him an irritated glance. He was annoyed that Shiki hadn't told him why he wanted to accompany him to visit Kaname. He was tempted to tell him to 'hurry up' and embarrass him like he had done to him a few minutes ago, but in truth it was interesting for Aidou to see the unemotional Shiki so flustered for once. It was a rarity that piqued his ever- changing attention.

Shiki finally raised his chin to meet Kaname's eye. "I want to find Takuma. If you don't know his whereabouts, then I want to permission to leave and find out."

"Please," he added reluctantly after receiving a glare from Aidou.

Kaname scrutinized Shiki for a time and then stated in a cool voice, "No."

"No? But…" Shiki frowned at Kaname's silence and seemed to be struggling not to protest. Finally, he bowed his head curtly. "Yes, Kaname-sama."

"Was there something else you wanted?" Kaname questioned the glowering vampire.

"Ah, yes, I wanted to speak to Yuuki-sama," Shiki said, his tense posture suggested he was becoming even more uncomfortable.

Kaname nodded and extended his arm to Yuuki, whose brows were drawn together in confusion. "Come here, Yuuki."

Yuuki complied and stood next to Kaname, not sure what Shiki wanted since he was more standoffish with her than almost everyone else in the Night Class. She resisted the childish urge to hide behind Kaname's broad back as Shiki regarded her in an uncomfortably intense manner and wondered if she was supposed to say something to him first.

She tilted her head up and studied Kaname's serene features and exhaled a breath, drawing some strength from his untroubled air. Kaname gave her a hint of a smile and laid his hand on her shoulder.

Yuuki turned back to Shiki and gave him a weak smile. "Shiki?"

Shiki stared at her for second longer before shocking her completely by gracefully kneeling at her feet. With a bowed head, he said, "Cousin, I ask for your forgiveness."

Yuuki goggled at him and made a few wheezing sounds before questioning in a shrill voice, "Shiki, what are you doing? Get off your knees. This is silly."

His reminding her of their kinship caught her off guard almost as much as the proud vampire groveling at her feet. The fact that he was closely related to her and Kaname was never mentioned so that she forgot it most of the time. '_How must it have been having _him _as a father?_'

Yuuki was halfway to bending down in an attempt to make him stand up before Kaname gripped her arm and shook his head. "B-but I don't understand. Why are you apologizing to me?" Yuuki asked, her eyes huge in her face.

Shiki looked up at her, a somber expression on his face. "Because of my father… for all the suffering he has brought upon you and your family."

"What? No!"

"I'm not responsible for everything, of course," he agreed with Yuuki's shrill protest, his dry demeanor returning briefly. "But what has happened recently… if I had been stronger, perhaps he would have never returned. No one would have been hurt."

A strand of hair fell over his eye as he studied his hands and Yuuki watched him, wondering if he was thinking about Rima, who was still recovering from injuries she suffered during the siege of the school. After pestering Aidou for information during Kaname's time at the council, he had told her that Shiki had been possessed by Rido and he had made Shiki do terrible things against his will.

She saw his guilt and anger and felt her heart go out to him. "I don't think you're right at all. You weren't to blame for what Uncle Rido did. I don't know everything that happened, but I can't imagine what it was like to have him controlling your body."

Yuuki shuddered and rubbed her arms at the thought as Shiki gaped at her openly. She continued, unaware of his stare. "I think having to watch him hurt people you care about and not being able to stop it… well, you were injured by that, too. So, don't worry about it, okay? And I know that we are related by blood, but I hope we can be friends someday."

Touching his mahogany hair timidly, Yuuki snatched her hand back quickly, not knowing if she crossed a boundary. "Please, get up. I'm starting to feel really ridiculous."

Shiki obeyed and looked at her like he hadn't really seen her before. "Thank you, Yuuki-sama. If you ever need anything…" He trailed off, his eyes flicking towards Kaname's in a brief moment of uncertainty, before his careful jaded expression slipped smoothly back into place.

The ensuing quiet was palpable and thick in the room, even Aidou seemed at a loss for words, whistling under his breath. Yuuki eyes sought Kaname's and the intense gaze he was directing at her made her wonder if she had somehow displeased him.

Finally, Aidou exclaimed briskly, "That was all. Again, sorry for disturbing you."

He and Shiki had both made it half-way across the room before Kaname quietly ordered them to wait. In unison, two pairs of delicate brows rose in curiosity at their leader. "The reason I refused your request is because I believe Ichijou will be returning here soon," Kaname stated, as he stared out the windows.

Both Aidou and Shiki bore expressions of deep shock at the news. Aidou appeared to want to ask Kaname more, but his forbidding expression made his mouth snap shut before the question was asked.

At the news of Ichijou being alive, Yuuki felt hope bloom in her heart. She had mourned the cheerful vampire's loss more than any of the other casualties of the Night Class after the siege. The idea of seeing his open smiling face again made her happier than she would have believed possible. "Really, Onii-sama?"

He didn't look at her and now she was sure she felt a wave of displeasure coming from him. "Yes, and he will not be alone."

Shiki and Aidou's gaze both sharpened at this. "Kaname-sama, but you said when you came back from the council that we wouldn't see him again," Aidou blurted.

Still only showing his profile, Kaname answered in an amused voice. "I lied."

Silence spun out full with unasked questions no one was quite willing to ask given Kaname's odd mood.

Yuuki finally ventured, touching his sleeve. "Kaname?"

Kaname finally gave Yuuki a sidelong glance and seeing her need for reassurance, his expression thawed. He glanced at Aidou and Shiki and then turned his attention back to Yuuki. "I want you to do something for me."

"What?"

"Close your eyes," Kaname answered.

Yuuki hesitated and then complied, a bright crimson flush creeping up her neck as she considered he was going to ask for her blood now, but she then disregarded the idea as ridiculous since Aidou and Shiki were still present. '_Earlier, I wanted to give it to him so much, I guess that's why it came to my mind. Maybe later…_'However, now that she had thought of it, she couldn't un-think it. She swallowed, breathing rapidly, as she realized, if he asked her, she would let him suck her blood regardless of an audience. '_Geez, what's wrong with me? Of course, he wouldn't do that!_'Nervously, her tongue darted out to moisten her lips as she ran through the possibilities of what Kaname could want from her. Since her eyes were closed, she was unaware that Aidou and Shiki were staring at her neck intently since her attention was fixed on Kaname.

Kaname's eyes narrowed at the two vampires. Aidou seemed to come back to himself, before the younger Shiki. "Uh, well, we'll be leaving now," Aidou said nervously, yanking on Shiki's arm.

Kaname held up his palm for them to halt, and in a blur stood behind Yuuki. She felt her pulse fluttering wildly in neck and temple as she felt his long, lean body press behind her and his lips moved against her ear. "Yuuki, whether you mean to, or not, you are sending signals that any male vampire can read right now--you desire to be bitten."

"Oh… I… s-sorry, onii-sama. I d-didn't mean-"

"Shh, if you keep talking in that way, I'm going to have difficulty controlling myself. It's so hard for me to resist you when I know you desire this." Again, it was just a small movement of his mouth, nearly no sound escaped. "And at this moment, I don't care if anyone sees."

Yuuki felt a tremor running through his body like an electrical current against her and realized he was holding himself at bay by the slimmest of margins, and also that Aidou and Shiki were still in the room watching her as she stood perfectly still with her eyes shut. She couldn't help wondering why Kaname hadn't told them to leave if she was shamefully communicating a yearning.

She felt Kaname's chest rise against her back as he sighed and said in a voice that everyone could hear. "Yuuki, you asked how I knew Aidou and Shiki were approaching from so far away. You have this ability, as well. See them."

"But my eyes are closed," Yuuki protested.

"You're still thinking as a human, Yuuki. You _can_ see them, and you don't need your eyes open to do it. You also need to be calm and centered."

She turned her head and opened her eyes, taken aback by the red sparks dancing in her brother's eyes, before murmuring, "But how can I be calm right now?" …_with you touching me?_ she added silently.

Kaname's lips curved in a brief smile, perhaps guessing her thoughts, before he brought his palm up to cover her eyes. "Breathe deeply, in through your nose, out through your mouth, and recall Aidou and Shiki from your memory. It will help you focus."

Yuuki nodded, highly doubtful she would be able to concentrate since besides one of his hands shielding her eyes the other one was resting lightly on her hip, a warm weight through the cotton of her nightgown.

Listening to Kaname's own respiration behind her, she realized he was breathing slowly and deliberately as well and she was quietly surprised to find the slow rise and fall of his abdomen against her back was calming her.

Yuuki thought of Aidou‒his wavy blond hair, sharp tongue and restless energy. A vertical line appeared between her brows as she concentrated. … _He has turquoise irises… like the color of tropical seas._

Yuuki gasped when color bloomed behind her closed eyes. Though she couldn't see Aidou, the warm blue of which Yuuki had imagined was visible in the darkness, a bright field which seemed to cling to his body like a second skin. She laughed in delight when she saw the Aidou-shape scratch his head. "It's like magic, onii-sama!"

"I guess it would seem that way," Kaname answered her in an amused voice. "You're sensing his aura."

"It's amazing, the color of your eyes. Aidou-senpai, you're so pretty! " Yuuki cried happily.

"Pretty!?" Aidou exclaimed, flustered. "Why does it have to be pretty? Isn't there some-"

"You know… she has a point," Yuuki heard Shiki drawl.

"Shut up!" Aidou shouted, his cheeks red.

Yuuki heard Kaname snort softly from behind and tilted her head back towards him, "Do I always have to close my eyes to see them?"

"No, when your mind is more at ease your senses will become sharper and it won't be necessary," Kaname answered. He squeezed her hip, seemingly pleased with her enthusiasm. "Can you see Shiki as well?"

Yuuki flushed and tried to forget his overwhelming presence behind her, a task easier said than done, but she managed to focus on Shiki by painting a mental picture of him as she did with Aidou. _Slouching as if he barely has the energy to stand straight, rarely makes eye contact, but always watching._

Yuuki felt the internal click as something switched on in her mind, but instead of seeing the pale blue she had anticipated with Shiki's aura, she witnessed an unsettling dark orange. _It's not always the color of the eyes… is it personality or how one feels?_

The tiny Pureblood's forehead crinkled as she pondered this, but before she could think about it more deeply, color silently exploded behind her eyes. Whereas Aidou and Shiki's energy were flashlights in the dark, this was the blinding brightness of a floodlight—except instead of being it white it was the baleful red of the heart of a furnace.

"Onii-sama?" Yuuki questioned in a weak voice, as she was hypnotized by the swirling vortex of energy that was Kaname's aura. "Your aura, it's…" Yuuki uttered breathlessly.

"Open your eyes, Yuuki." Kaname interrupted smoothly as he removed his hand from Yuuki's eyes. She turned around, staring at him fearfully now that she couldn't see the shifting, bright corona emanating from him, ironically because her eyes were now open.

His eyes touched hers for a second before he glanced at the two other vampires. "You two may leave. Please inform the Chairman that I'll see him shortly. Thank you."

Yuuki barely registered their shared quizzical looks as they left as she regarded Kaname. "The bat, your aura… w-what are you?"

"Are you frightened of me now?" He asked sadly, instead of answering her question.

Rubbing her arms, she checked her inner workings. Finally, she looked at him directly and gave him a small smile. "No, there are so many things about you I don't understand, yet, and that frightens me, but I will learn and then these things won't be so strange and-" She gnawed her lip, searching for a safe word to describe her anxiety about seeing startling aspects of Kaname's powers. "-surprising," she said, shrugging, not entirely happy with the word, but understanding her vocabulary became very limited in times of stress.

Kaname nodded, seemingly satisfied, but not entirely happy, and Yuuki asked something she was curious about from earlier, "Kaname, what does my aura look like?"

Kaname gave her a rare genuine smile and said, "It's lovely. When I see it, I feel calm, but…"

"But?"

"It's irregular because you are unsettled about your vampiric nature."

"What color is it?" Yuuki asked.

Kaname considered carefully before answering. "It isn't just one. It's bright yellows, oranges, and warm browns… earthy… like watching autumn leaves caught in the wind."

Yuuki watched the gentle smile on his face as he described what she couldn't see, but she noted that his face still looked very tired, a consequence of his lack of sleep and her feedings. Yuuki fiddled with the collar of nightgown unknowingly, but Kaname caught the gesture. "Now, that Aidou and Shiki have left I can tell you something important about your perception. It will strengthen as time goes by, but it's important for you to understand that even when you begin to become more aware, you will not always sense others auras."

"Why?"

"Distractions will interfere. I am not aware of everyone's movements all the time because I am preoccupied at times. Sometimes a powerful vampire can make themselves undetectable simply by concentrating… even something as frightening as myself, isn't all-powerful."

Yuuki meanwhile caught one his hands. "'You' don't scare me, onii-sama. You are the gentlest man I've ever known."

Kaname's face showed an unusual mix of emotions at this—gratefulness, confusion, and finally, though it was so brief that she thought she imagined it, fear enlarging his pupils. However, before she could dwell on it further, he released her hand and pulled her into an embrace. After a comfortable silence, he said as he rubbed her shoulder blades. "I am quite sure you're the only person in the world who sees me this way."

A crease appeared between Yuuki's brows at the dry, amused tone in Kaname's voice, she tightened her hold on his long, taut waist. "You sound like you don't believe you're good. You are."

Silence greeted this, but his caresses on her back continued, lower now, as he slowly kneaded the muscles in the small of her back. She sighed and felt her body relaxing for the first time since she had awakened and experienced the confusing and upsetting events of the morning. "Why don't you believe it? You are good; I feel it." Yuuki repeated, despite the increasing warmth and languidness in her body at his ministrations.

Kaname drew away slightly looking down into her upturned face, a hungry intensity reddening his gaze. At that moment, looking down into Yuuki's shining gaze; Kaname felt relief that mind-reading could only achieved through sharing blood. On one hand, he was moved that she believed in him so blindly, that he was noble and kind. To be judged 'good' even if it was only by one young girl's estimation, redeemed and humbled him, made him want to live up to the pure image she had created for him. However, a deep and perverse part of his mind was desperate to tear apart all that innocence clearly visible on her fragile face. That purity taunted this carefully hidden part of the Pureblood's make-up he controlled with an iron-grip. It wanted to corrupt that which it loved in mind and through and all pleasurable depravities that could be visited on a small, soft body. This voice was persuasive and familiar.

The voice was _other_, beyond the neat confines of Kaname Kuran, old and potent.

Kaname took a deep shuddering breath and collected himself before removing his hands from her back. Cupping her face, he brushed his thumbs over her delicate cheek bones before inching closer, his lips touching hers lightly. The innocent kiss suddenly became warm and urgent and Kaname drew away, breathing deeply, pleased as he looked at Yuuki's flushed skin and noted her rapid pulse fluttering in her throat.

"Feel? What else do you feel, Yuuki?" Kaname asked, his voice husky and his alight with desire.

* * *

**A/N: I found this on my hard drive a few weeks ago. I had written it some time ago, but never bothered uploading it. I've lost most of my interest in VK, the repetitive and mind-numbingly boring story line isn't hard to give up. However, I still love Kaname deeply and I read something recently that reminded me of him so I decided to upload since it's already written. **

**I'm not sure I'll ever continue it. Maybe... I would dearly love to write a lemon and I have been thinking about it more lately and this is not the place I'd like to leave it. **

**This chapter is dedicated to Maddy, who encouraged me to upload this despite my complete apathy. She's actually responsible for the last four or five chapters being written at all and I will never be able to thank her for her kind words of encouragement.**

**Farewell for now. ~Arret**


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